The racism scandal that has engulfed Yorkshire County Cricket Club and the English game since 2020 will come to a head over the coming days.
More than two and a half years have passed since former Yorkshire spinner Azeem Rafiq first made claims of racism at Yorkshire, later calling English cricket “institutionally racist”.
On Wednesday, a long-awaited Cricket Discipline Commission (CDC) hearing will begin in London and run until 9 March.
Here is everything you need to know.
What is due to happen?
A panel will hear disciplinary proceedings brought against Yorkshire and seven individuals who were all charged by the England and Wales Cricket Board (ECB) with bringing the game into disrepute.
Former England captain Michael Vaughan is set to be the only charged individual to appear in person following a number of withdrawals from the disciplinary process.
Matthew Hoggard, Tim Bresnan, John Blain, Andrew Gale and Richard Pyrah have all withdrawn, while Gary Ballance has admitted liability in response to his charge and will not participate.
Yorkshire will also not attend after the club pleaded guilty to four ECB amended charges.
The hearing is to take place in public – a first for the CDC – at the request of Rafiq, who will also appear in person.
However, this does not mean the general public will be able to watch; instead, accredited journalists will be permitted to watch a live stream of the hearing at its London location.
The panel will consist of former Derbyshire batsman Tim O’Gorman (chair), Mark Milliken-Smith KC and Dr Seema Patel.
What are the allegations against Vaughan?
Rafiq alleges Vaughan said “too many of you lot, we need to do something about it” to him and three other Asian players in 2009 while they were all at Yorkshire.
England bowler Adil Rashid and former Pakistan bowler Rana Naved-ul-Hasan have corroborated the allegation, which Vaughan “completely and categorically denies”.
The fourth player in the group, bowler Ajmal Shahzad, has said he has no recollection of the event.
Vaughan was not involved in the BBC’s coverage of the Ashes in Australia over the following winter, but returned to commentary in March 2022.
He stepped back from his work at the BBC in June last year after he was charged by the ECB and two groups of BBC staff raised concerns about his continued involvement in the broadcaster’s cricket coverage.
Vaughan captained England in 51 Tests between 2003 and 2008. He played his entire domestic career at Yorkshire – between 1993 and 2009 – before becoming a summariser on BBC Test Match Special.
