The England captain has issued a statement
Joe Root has broken his silence on the racism scandal that has engulfed Yorkshire County Cricket Club.
Azeem Rafiq, a former White Rose player, made 43 allegations of racism regarding his time as a player at Yorkshire, and an independent investigation upheld seven of his claims, concluding he was a victim of “racial harassment and bullying”.
The fallout of the report has seen the resignation of Roger Hutton as chairman, the club stripped of its right to host England matches at Headlingley, and key sponsors, including Yorkshire Tea, cut ties with the club.
Root, a Yorkshire player and captain of the England’s Test team, issued a statement on Twitter on Thursday morning to address the matter.
“In my capacity as England captain and a senior player at Yorkshire, I feel compelled to address the current situation that has consumed the sport and YCCC,” he began.
“I just want the sport to be a place where everyone is enjoying it for the beautiful game it is and feels equal and safe. It hurts knowing this has happened at YCCC so close to home.”
— Joe Root (@root66) November 11, 2021
Root’s statement continued: “These events have fractured our game and torn lives apart. We must now recover and come back together as fans, players, media.
“We have an opportunity to make the sport I love better for everyone.”
The batter then went on to pledge that he will reach out to the newly appointed chair, Lord Patel, to offer support however he is able to.
Root acknowledged that racism is a “societal issue” that “needs addressing further afield than just cricket.”
The second half of his statement focuses on what cricket can do as a whole to combat racism.
“What can everyone from myself, the ECB, counties, officials, players and others in the sport do to improve the state of the game?” Root posed.
“I certainly don’t have all the answers, but I think we need to educate more and earlier; we must call it out straight away and have our eyes and ears open more.”
Root is currently quarantining in Australia ahead of the 2021/22 Ashes series, which begins at midnight on December 8th.
