So what have we learned in the two weeks since the last newsletter? The Yorkshire racism scandal has seemingly come to a head with Azeem Rafiq having his day in front of the DCMS Select Committee. Subsequent news of his own misdeeds must not be allowed the shift the focus. One person's fallibilities, whether they are Rafiq, Michael Vaughan, Simon Hughes or anyone else, should not assuage the desire to probe the wider issue of correcting the deep-seated racism that blights the game.
Heaven help me, but I have looked at the online comments on major stories around the Rafiq case and, on this admittedly unscientific evidence, there appears to be a stark divide between the stance of many media stories and the general public. Or at least those willing and able to comment on the issue.
For the benefit of the keyboard warriors lurking in the shadows, here's the argument in a nutshell. Racism is not like other name-calling or prejudice because being teased about being fat, having a stutter, being ginger or any other playground taunt is unlikely to see your personal safety affected, different treatment in society, be passed over for jobs, underpaid or simply disrespected. The same goes for sexism too.
My book, Last-Wicket Stand, talked about how I felt I have become invisible in the job market since I turned 50. This has eaten away at my ego, creating anger and depression because, before that, my career was always in the ascendancy. Heaven knows what it is like to feel this way throughout your life.
About 25 years ago, I studied racism in sport as part of my degree and especially in my Masters. It is striking how the same themes persist. The need to tacitly accept certain comments and actions in order to gain acceptance from the gate-keepers and those who do not are considered to "have a chip on their shoulder" and their careers tend to suffer. This, in turn, allows the powerful to point towards evidence of 'bitterness' as they had 'failed'. So the system persists.
In cricket, despite all the noise to the contrary, there is powerful evidence suggesting the game is compartmentalised within a certain section of society more than ever before. They need to loosen their grip before you can expect it to grow. But I won’t be holding my breath.
While no-one can expect a dramatic change inside two weeks, I am skeptical of a real desire for progress except when media scrutiny arrives and sponsors leave. As you'll see below, the ECB leadership has not changed, they are still putting out PR puff and their pass-the-parcel approach at the Select Committee came from a 'back four' committed to defending their actions rather than attacking the issue of change.
But this is about personal responsibility too. I don't know about you but over the past month I have looked back on my actions and, more importantly, non-action over the years with a certain shame.
As former Australia captain Kim Hughes reminded us this week when talking about his own country's current cricketing scandal: “The standard you walk past is the standard you accept."
Here’s a selection of articles I have read on the Yorkshire racism scandal. It is by no means definitive. Please feel free to comment, praise, agree or disagree. If you really hate my take then unsubscribe but always remain respectful.
Yorkshire Racism Scandal
What a surprise. It is the tried and tested "trust us, we've got this and we hear you" response. In my view the only viable argument for keeping Teflon Tom in his highly-paid role (with massive bonuses) is that the chairman has already gone. His leadership throughout the last seven years has been poor. Mistake after mistake, hiding from scrutiny and cotton-wooled in PR puff. It just goes on and on.
Clearly I am biased as I bitterly oppose The Hundred, but even its advocates must accept the introduction has divided the game and its supposed success have been spun to within an inch of a lie.
But it is not just Teflon Tom, it is the board that appointed him that needs replacing. Also the counties must give their collective heads a wobble because change is essential and that means collaboration.
The question over whether the ECB is "fit for purpose" is now spread far and wide. If that is not enough to start clearing the decks then I do not know what is.
The ECB's raison d'être has been about growing the game through TV rights revenue and Teflon Tom's background at IMG was a good fit.
But then I don't judge a sport by the money it makes. I judge it by the pride and joy it creates, the sense of belonging and meaning as well as the lessons it can teach.
Then again, what do I know, I am only a lifelong fan.
The ECB must launch a national inquiry into racism at all levels of cricket (Guardian)
The Fletcher report was mentioned in the DCMS Select Committee and here is Dr Fletcher writing about it. The key issues were identified in 2014 and nothing happened. Already, the Yorkshire racism story is starting to die down. Key figures have either fronted up, been flamed or they have hidden. We have been here before, recently, and nothing changed. Why should this time be any different?
'We are losing sight of the fight against racism by digging up old dirt on Azeem Rafiq' (Mirror)
Azeem Rafiq’s testimony exposes how power works in cricket – and in Britain (The Guardian)
This excellent piece from Jonathan Liew helps us understand why so many of the names implicated in the Yorkshire racism scandal will keep their jobs. Even some of the MPs on the DCMS Select Committee have not been punished for their own indiscretions in the past. Someone, somewhere (via a ‘connection’) will offer them a way back to a position close to their previous status. Rafiq had no such help. He went back to Yorkshire because Derbyshire did not have the money to offer him a contract.
And while we are here, why did Rafiq's text messages and other lurid stories 'emerge' now. Just like Ollie Robinson's unsavory tweets 'emerged' on the day of his Test debut. It is because someone was looking for them and had reason to make them public.
I have talked before about the need for real inclusion in cricket across gender, race and educational background. The last of those is a distant third in the list but my personal bug-bear, probably let’s be honest, because it affects me personally and the others do not.
That brings me to this piece…
Who Watches the Watchmen (Being Outside Cricket)
It calls out the ECB for their inaction and lack of responsibility. With its "circular structure" this is always liable to happen. But the key questions is how should it be replaced. Frankly that is where I am now, not an “if” but a “when” and “how”.
At the heart of this process are two questions
1) What do we REALLY we want our cricket to be?
The actions of ECB leads me to think they want (or are at least content with) a sport based on the attraction of the England team and the revenue its TV rights bring in. Everything else should feed into that.
2) Whose interests should the game primarily serve?
Again it seems that the ECB are most interested in serving broadcasters and sponsors.
This is the track taken most of the sports business sector but there are ‘challenges’ (oh sod it, that is bizspeak, I really mean ‘problems’) in the power of Indian cricket, the rise of franchises v international cricket, the demise of Test cricket and its rights value, the intransigence of counties, an aging fanbase, the demise of participation and many general sporting issues like wider entertainment options etc.
One thing I would be strict about - player wages.
Every sport wants to be Premier League football but the unbridled salaries of its stars will eventually see the game eat itself. By that I mean the few truly elite clubs will suck all the money from those who present even the possibility of a challenge. The European Super League was the 'first pass' at this and, given the miscreants have got away 'scott free', they will re-present the same idea in a prettier box in a year or two.
But, of course, the ECB don’t run the world game and keeping wages reasonable will lead players to forgo English cricket in favour of bigger franchise money abroad. It is a tough problem.
No, cricket is not ‘institutionally racist’ (Spiked)
Alex Hales apologises for ‘incredibly disrespectful’ blackface photo (Wisden)
Jahid Ahmed: Essex was "a white man's world where brown people were outsiders" (Cricketer)
Player moves, news and interviews
Derbyshire appoint Arthur as Head of Cricket (Derbyshire CCC)
Good catch by Derbyshire.
Contracts: Atkins (Sussex), Abell (Somerset), D'Oliveira (Worcestershire), Scrimshaw (Derbyshire), Mulder (Leicestershire), Eskinazi (Middlesex)
The Year of John Simpson (Cricketer)
This is one in the eye for those who suggest the gap between county cricket and the Test game is a vast chasm. It is undoubtedly big and Simpson's elevation was brief but, before last summer, he was considered a very capable county player. No more, no less.
Josh Bohannon and the value of enjoying the game (Cricketer)
This batter looks like he has something special, at least at ‘county level’, see above story. At just, 24 he has time to develop towards international honours but Bohannon does not seem anointed as the next middle-order batter like, for example, Dan Lawrence was so he might have to go the Dom Sibley route, ie an unignorable amount of runs in domestic cricket.
Access to The Cricketer's digital content is changing... this is how and why (The Cricketer)
From a purely selfish perspective this is a shame. I will not be able to link to as many articles from The Cricketer. However, good content costs money and creators must have business models.
On a wider point (and not being critical of this move), how do you spread interest in the game if the best content is all behind paywall?
With a couple of major exceptions, free content in all genres is increasingly becoming SEO-first, clickbait fair as that is what brings in the advertising revenue. If the quality is all behind a paywall then it just speeds up the race to the bottom. I don't have answers, only questions on this one. But this newsletter will be poorer for the absence of content from The Cricketer.