HUW TURBERVILL: Vaughan is alleged to have said "there's too many of you lot, we need to have a word about that" ahead of a T20 game between Nottinghamshire and Yorkshire at Trent Bridge on June 22, 2009
Adil Rashid has denied being pressured into supporting Azeem Rafiq's claims that Michael Vaughan made a racist comment during the players' time together at Yorkshire.
Rashid, who is on tour with England's white-ball squad in Bangladesh, appeared via videolink at the Cricket Discipline Commission's (CDC) hearings in London on Thursday (March 2).
He was asked by Vaughan's lawyer, Christopher Stoner KC, about his relationship with former team-mate Rafiq, whose allegations instigated the investigations which ultimately led to Vaughan and six other individuals being charged by the ECB.
Vaughan is alleged to have said "there's too many of you lot, we need to have a word about that" ahead of a T20 game between Nottinghamshire and Yorkshire at Trent Bridge on June 22, 2009. It is claimed that the former England captain was addressing a quartet of players of South Asian heritage: Rafiq, Rashid, Rana Naved-ul-Hasan and Ajmal Shahzad. Vaughan denies the accusation.
Rana Naved corroborated the claim in November 2021, albeit through a media report which did not include direct quotes from the player, while Shahzad says Vaughan did not make the remark.
Stoner said "the burden of proof is on the ECB" to prove the claim. He said Vaughan feels he has been "singled out" and that he had been entered into "an adversarial process" with Rafiq.
Michael Vaughan pictured outside the CDC hearings into racism allegations in 2023 [Justin Tallis/Getty Images]
The only evidence relating to Vaughan’s alleged comment presented to the CDC panel beyond witness testimony is broadcast footage of the game, which shows the Yorkshire side gathering for a huddle pre-match. It was shown to the CDC panel on Thursday.
Stoner claimed discrepancies in the accounts provided by Rashid and Rafiq of the day.
The defence suggested Rafiq's recollection of events cannot be relied upon because of the time that has passed. Stoner said: "memories are malleable and fluid." The defence added that some players have confirmed they did not hear the phrase as claimed.
Both Rashid and Rafiq were asked in detail about the events of the day in question by Stoner.
They were asked whether the match was played in the day or as a day-night fixture, what the result was, how many wickets they took, what the weather was like, and who captained Yorkshire.
Rashid remembered that he did not take any wickets, and that Jacques Rudolph was captain.
He was also asked how he had travelled to the match; he said that he "must have driven". He was then asked if he remembered what he did two days later on June 24, and he said he could not. He could not answer the other questions.
Later, Rafiq answered the questions successfully.
Rashid denied that giving evidence was related to his business connections to Rafiq - he was a partner in a fish and chip shop enterprise with Rafiq between October 2021 and October 2022.
Rashid said he talked to Rafiq mainly via WhatsApp, but denied there were any messages on his phone about the Vaughan allegations.
Stoner showed him a statement where Rafiq said: "I just hope that there is [sic] no lies, that's all I have said to someone like Adil. I've said, as long as you don't lie, I can live with it… if you want to sit on the fence… but ultimately if you lie then it's going to become a really uncomfortable position for everyone."
Rashid looked uncomfortable and several times said he didn't understand the language being used by Stoner.
Azeem Rafiq pictured outside the CDC hearings into racism allegations in 2023 [Justin Tallis/Getty Images]
After a 15-minute break he said he didn't recall a conversation with Shahzad where it was alleged Rafiq might "use something that he knew about him personally, against him."
In his witness statement, Rafiq denied that he tried to blackmail Rashid. Rashid denied that he told Liz Neto, the former HR head of Yorkshire CCC, that "he was being pressured to corroborate allegations of racism then being made, even though he did not want to."
Rashid was also asked whether he was pressured by journalist George Dobell - currently the chief correspondent of The Cricketer - into providing a statement in support of Rashid in November 2021.
“No, I was not pressured,” he said.
He maintained that he was not offended by Vaughan's alleged comment, which he felt was "an attempt at humour."
In a transcript of a meeting between Rafiq and Squire Patton Boggs, the legal firm appointed by Yorkshire CCC to investigate Rafiq's allegations, Rafiq said: "I've not been in touch with Ajmal. Adil I'm obviously in regular touch with. He's had a memory failure. He's had a loss of memory, god bless him."
On Thursday, Rashid denied that he'd had a memory loss.
In the final hour of the session, Stoner turned to the wider allegations of racism at Yorkshire.
Rafiq alleged that the players of South Asian origin were told that "you lot should sit over there near the toilets". Stoner suggested "you lot sit over there" might have been said instead.
Michael Vaughan pictured outside the CDC hearings into racism allegations in 2023 [Justin Tallis/Getty Images]
Rafiq talked about how he was questioned by Yorkshire early in his career about whether he was an illegal immigrant. "It caused press intrusion and I missed some crucial cricket for my development," he said.
He said that he'd heard that Vaughan had made "general attempts to discredit [him] while he was in Australia."
Vaughan, who is likely to appear on day three, said in a statement "that it is clear racism has no place in the game of cricket or in wider society", and that he is adamant that he did not use the words alleged.
"When he first heard Mr Rafiq's allegation he simply had no idea it was related to him," said Stoner. "In fact, he contacted Nick Hoult of the Telegraph and suggested he speak to Mr Rafiq about his story [to find out who it was]. Unsurprisingly given the passage of time, Mr Vaughan cannot recall what precisely he said on 22 June 2009, but he is clear that the words are unacceptable and Mr Vaughan is adamant he would not have used them."
The hearings continue on Friday.
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