Headingley allowed to host international games again after Yorkshire approve host of reforms

London: Yorkshire members approved a package of reforms on Thursday following the Azeem Rafiq racism scandal, paving the way for lucrative England matches to be played at their Headingley ground this season.

Former spin bowler Azeem Rafiq accused Yorkshire of failing to deal adequately with the abuse he suffered while playing for the county side, saying he had been driven to thoughts of suicide.

His revelations led to a mass clear-out of senior boardroom figures and coaching staff at the county’s Headingley headquarters in Leeds, while a new chairman, Kamlesh Patel, has become the face of a fresh regime.

The England and Wales Cricket Board (ECB) warned Yorkshire in February they would only still be able to stage internationals if governance reforms promised by Patel were voted through, with the British government making it clear the county would lose public funding in the absence of robust diversity and inclusion policies.

Withdrawing the England fixtures from Headingley, where Test cricket was first played in 1899, would have had dire financial consequences for Yorkshire.

The results of the club’s extraordinary general meeting on Thursday, however, mean the third Test between England and New Zealand in June and July’s one-day international against South Africa can now go ahead as scheduled.

“It is an overwhelming vote for positive change,” said Patel in a Yorkshire statement issued after the EGM.

“This support will help Yorkshire County Cricket Club to be an inclusive and welcoming place and gives us the clarity and certainty we need to keep building this great club.

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“Yorkshire has now met the ECB’s conditions for the return of international cricket and, working with them, we’ll deliver some great events here at Headingley this summer.”

Former Yorkshire chairman and current vice-president Robin Smith resented what he regarded as outside interference in the running of the club and he twice had the EGM postponed on procedural grounds prior to Thursday’s vote.

Yorkshire needed a minimum two-thirds threshold to approve the changes, which included confirmation of Patel’s position as chairman, and the ability to appoint independent directors, approved at the EGM.

That bar was passed comfortably, with two votes receiving 85 per cent support and another getting 83 per cent backing.

Rafiq welcomed the EGM outcomes on Twitter, saying he was “excited for the future of our club”.

Relieved to see Lord Patel’s reforms backed today and that Yorkshire members chose a bright, inclusive future for my club

Big opportunity to show the world what can be achieved when you have strong leadership & good people

👏🏽👏🏽

— Azeem Rafiq (@AzeemRafiq30) March 31, 2022

An ECB spokesperson said the “overwhelming support” for the reform package meant “we are satisfied that international cricket can now be staged at Headingley this summer”.

But the spokesperson warned the governing body would continue to monitor Yorkshire’s progress in implementing the changes and added the ECB’s separate investigation into Rafiq’s complaints was still ongoing.

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