Cricket Scotland board resigns ahead of report into racism

A review was conducted after Scotland’s all-time leading wicket-taker, Majid Haq, told British broadcaster Sky Sports that Cricket Scotland was “institutionally racist”

July 24, 2022 05:00 pm | Updated 05:00 pm IST - EDINBURGH

Scotland’s all-time leading wicket-taker Majid Haq had complained that Cricket Scotland was “institutionally racist” after which a review was conducted. File

Scotland’s all-time leading wicket-taker Majid Haq had complained that Cricket Scotland was “institutionally racist” after which a review was conducted. File | Photo Credit: Getty Images

The board of Cricket Scotland resigned on Sunday ahead of the publication of an independent report into racism.

A review was conducted after Scotland’s all-time leading wicket-taker, Majid Haq, told British broadcaster Sky Sports that Cricket Scotland was “institutionally racist”, while former teammate Qasim Sheikh said he had also suffered racist abuse.

Aamer Anwar, the lawyer representing the two players, told the broadcaster that the report could prove “devastating” for Cricket Scotland.

The governing body said it was “truly sorry” to anyone who was abused while playing the sport. The report will be released Monday.

In a statement reacting to the resignation of the board, Cricket Scotland said it will “work in partnership with (government agency) sportscotland with immediate effect to ensure appropriate governance, leadership and support is in place for the organization and the sport in the days ahead.”

The resignation letter from the outgoing board referred to the review being “truly transformative, not just for Cricket Scotland but the sport of cricket” and said it would “provide a watershed moment for Scottish sport and society in general."

The outgoing board repeated its apology, but said that despite taking steps to improve the governance of Cricket Scotland, it could not meet the timescale of actions the report will recommend.

“Consequently, we believe we must now step aside to enable the required progress to be made in the coming months," the board said.

0 / 0
Sign in to unlock member-only benefits!
  • Access 10 free stories every month
  • Save stories to read later
  • Access to comment on every story
  • Sign-up/manage your newsletter subscriptions with a single click
  • Get notified by email for early access to discounts & offers on our products
Sign in

Comments

Comments have to be in English, and in full sentences. They cannot be abusive or personal. Please abide by our community guidelines for posting your comments.

We have migrated to a new commenting platform. If you are already a registered user of The Hindu and logged in, you may continue to engage with our articles. If you do not have an account please register and login to post comments. Users can access their older comments by logging into their accounts on Vuukle.