Former England Captain Michael Vaughan He will defend himself in front of the Cricket Disciplinary Commission panel on the third day of the public hearing on allegations of racism made by. Azeem Rafik.
Vaughan was expected to speak at the start of his trial on Thursday, but instead Adil RashidVia a video link from Bangladesh and Rafiq was cross-examined by his lawyer Christopher Stoner KC for most of the day.
Both Rashid and Rafiq were questioned over allegations Vaughan made to the couple along with their old friend.Yorkshire teammates Ajmal Shahzad and Rana Naved-ul-Hasan had “too many people” ahead of the T20 match against Nottinghamshire at Trent Bridge on 22 June 2009.
While it is “very clear” that Vaughan used the phrase “very many of you”, Rashid and Rafiq highlighted an inconsistency in the second part of a sentence that saw the England and Wales Cricket Board accused the 48-year-old of bringing the boy. The reputation of the game is damaged.
According to Rafiq’s account, Vaughan, one of seven people charged by the ECB but the only person to defend himself at this public hearing, allegedly said “there are too many of you, we need to do something about it”. Squire Patton Boggs investigating allegations of racism in Yorkshire.
But Vaughan’s attorney, Stoner, cited in an interview with Wisden in 2020 that Rafiq remembered the alleged comment as “there are too many of you, we need to have a say on this.”
Rafiq insisted it was the second version he remembered, but added: “There was a clear mistake in terms of explanation and I take full responsibility.
“I want to stress that the ‘too many of you’ thing that discriminates against a group of Asian players is very clear. The second part is an action.
“There is clearly a contradiction.”
England spinner Rashid admitted he couldn’t remember the result of the 2009 match or the weather, but when asked about Vaughan’s alleged comments, he said: “I have a very clear memory.
“I think you already know the words. “There are too many of you”.
“There are so many of you, you need a word, you have to do something about it. It’s a statement that there are too many of you.
Rashid also insisted that he felt Vaughan’s supposed words were made in “bad humor” rather than offensive.
He later denied allegations by his “close friend” Shahzad – who he said in an interview with the ECB – that Rafiq pressured him to speak.
“No no. As I said before, I wasn’t pressured by Azeem,” Rashid snapped in front of the CDC panel for over an hour.
In Rafiq’s witness statement to the CDC, he claimed that Shahzad accused him of “blackmailing” Rashid, which he “categorically” denied.
Vaughan will have a chance to defend himself on Friday.