Lord Patel rejects suggestion he was "suit" told to "f*** off" by Ben Stokes after World Cup final

GEORGE DOBELL - EXCLUSIVE: Patel says he has only met Stokes once, in 2018, and has expressed disappointment at the ECB for not publicly responding to the claim

Lord Kamlesh Patel has dismissed an allegation that Ben Stokes swore at him as "an attempt to discredit and undermine" him.

Some news outlets have reported that Stokes, now England's Test captain, told Patel to "f*** off" in the immediate aftermath of the 2019 World Cup final in response to a perceived lack of support after a fight in Bristol in 2017 led to a court case on a charge of affray in 2018. Patel was, at the time, on the ECB board.

While Stokes has admitted he swore at an ECB "suit", he has refused to reveal the identity of the person.

But Patel insists it was not him. He was, he says, a relatively junior member of the ECB board at the time, so had no overriding input into any of the decisions taken around how Stokes was handled. He also says he has only met Stokes once and enjoyed a cordial, if brief, exchange.

More pertinently, Patel, who is now chair of Yorkshire, feels the timing of the story is significant. He is currently midway through a process of reforming the club, which has seen around 20 staff effectively sacked and several former or current players charged by the ECB for bringing the game into disrepute as a result of the allegations of racism brought to light by Azeem Rafiq. Patel believes the allegation is the latest in a string of attempts to derail his progress, and finds it "unsettling" that the "one person of colour on the ECB board" at the time should be singled out for criticism.

"I have only met Ben once in my life," Patel told The Cricketer. "It was in a lift at the Ageas Bowl before a match against India in 2018. I wished him luck and he said 'thanks very much'.

^{Lord Patel, right, is the current chair of Yorkshire [Getty Images]}

"I've no recollection of asking for a selfie with him – it's not really the sort of thing I do – and certainly no memory of him swearing at me. If anything like that had happened, I wouldn't have been able to sleep. I would have felt compelled to find out why he was so upset and resolve any misunderstanding.

"I joined the ECB board July 2015. So, when the Bristol incident took place, I was a relatively junior member of that board.

"The idea that I was making all the big decisions is absurd. Andrew Strauss, who was director of cricket at the time, made most of the cricket-related decisions, while Tom Harrison, the chief executive, spoke to Ben on an almost daily basis. We also had the likes of Colin Graves, Richard Thompson, Peter Wright and Andy Nash on the board. How on earth does anyone think I was going to overrule all of them?

"My background is in social work. So my significant involvement in board discussions at the time involved ensuring Ben had the support he needed.

"I do find it revealing and unsettling that the one person of colour on the ECB board at the time – I was actually the first Asian person to serve on the ECB board - has been blamed for supposedly wanting to punish Ben. I'm very disappointed that the ECB haven't put out a statement to refute this."

This last point, Patel feels, is key. He is currently at a pivotal point in renegotiating the repayment terms of the debt owed to the Colin Graves Trusts – the plan is to refinance the whole debt – and hopes to agree a deferment to a repayment due in October. At the same time, the club has reached a favourable outcome in the majority of its legal exchanges with former employees (a couple remain outstanding) and expect at least two of those charged by the ECB's disciplinary committee to plead guilty. 

But, he says, not everyone wants change. And the closer this grim episode comes to a conclusion, the more desperate he believes the attempts to thwart him are getting.

"I suppose I would ask: why now? It just seems as if every day there is another story in one of three newspapers that is designed to discredit me or Azeem. And most of them are complete rubbish. On this occasion, the paper didn't even put the allegation to me before publication, which is surely a failure of process."

The newspaper involved insists repeated attempts were made to contact Patel. 

^{Ben Stokes revealed in a documentary that he told an ECB official to "f*** off" after the 2019 World Cup final [Getty Images]}

"Most people who love Yorkshire cricket have been incredibly supportive," Patel said. "But there's a small group who are desperately resisting change and doing all they can to fight back. The racist letters and emails I've received… they really have been appalling.

"Will I quit? Look, I never sought to be chair of Yorkshire and there will come a time in the not too distant future when I do stand down.

"But I have a responsibility to finish the job I started. I have to oversee the appointment of the new CEO, which we expect to do next month. I have to complete the refinancing of the debt [owed to the Colin Graves Trusts and the bank] and I have to get us through the disciplinary hearings. This club is going in the right direction. This won't stop us.

"Yes, there have been some tough days. And yes, there have been moments when I wondered whether I could go on. But every time I think like that, I remember the determination Azeem showed. There were times when nobody would listen to him and times it seemed everyone was against him. But he kept going and, by doing so, he gave us a chance to make this club, this sport, more inclusive and better than it's ever been.

"That's a powerful example to me. I owe it to him, to everyone of colour, to everyone who loves Yorkshire cricket and wants it to be inclusive and welcoming, to see this job through."

The Cricketer has approached the ECB for comment.