Former England bowler Tim Bresnan ‘categorically denies’ Azeem Rafiq’s allegations of racism

Daniel Brown

Rafiq has accused Bresnan of “frequently” making racist comments towards him

Former England bowler Tim Bresnan has “categorically denied” allegations of racism made against him by Azeem Rafiq.

Rafiq gave a witness statement as part of his employment tribunal against Yorkshire, which was published on Tuesday after he spoke to the Digital, Culture, Media and Sport (DCMS) select committee.

The former Yorkshire bowler was speaking about his experiences of racism during his two spells at the club.

In his witness statement, the 30-year-old accused Bresnan of “frequently” making racist comments towards him during their time together at Yorkshire and said Bresnan’s behaviour led him to have “suicidal thoughts”.

Rafiq said Bresnan, who left Yorkshire after 19 years to sign for Warwickshire in June 2020, later apologised, but claimed “it was lip service”.

"The treatment I received from some of the club officials was inhuman."

Azeem Rafiq recalls his horrific experiences of racism at Yorkshire CCC pic.twitter.com/KLmIYjKQbR

— JOE (@JOE_co_uk) November 16, 2021

In a statement released on Tuesday evening, Bresnan – who played 23 Tests and 85 one-day internationals for England – apologised to Rafiq for the bullying claims, but denied allegations of racism.

“For any part I played in contributing to Azeem Rafiq’s experience of feeling bullied at Yorkshire, I apologised unreservedly,” said the former England international.

“I must though categorically deny his accusation that I ‘frequently made racist comments’. This is absolutely not true.”

Warwickshire have stated that they will investigate Rafiq’s claims and that Bresnan will fully co-operate with the investigation.

A statement read: “We are seriously concerned to learn of Azeem’s direct allegations against Tim Bresnan.

“As a result, Warwickshire CCC will seek to talk to Azeem at the earliest opportunity so that we can fully understand the detail of these allegations. We will then talk to Tim to get his perspective.

“This is a delicate matter, as it involves allegations about Tim’s behaviour while at another club. However, as we have said before, racism or bullying will not be tolerated here at Warwickshire, and we will not shirk from investigating these matters in full and taking action if necessary.”

As part of his witness statement, Rafiq also accused Yorkshire of allowing former team-mate Gary Ballance to miss recreational drugs test – an allegation that Ballance has since denied.