VAUGHAN IS CLEARED OF RACISM CHARGE

›› PANEL SAY CASE AGAINST FORMER ENGLAND TEST CAPTAIN NOT PROVED ‘ON BALANCE OF PROBABILITIES’

MICHAEL VAUGHAN has been cleared of making a racist comment towards a group of Asian team-mates during his time at Yorkshire.

The former England captain was alleged to have referred to the group of four players — which included spinner Azeem Rafiq and current England international Adil Rashid — as “you lot” during a team huddle ahead of a T20 match against Nottinghamshire in 2009, but the Cricket Discipline Commission panel said they were

“not satisfied on the balance of probabilities” that the comment had been made.

Vaughan (right) was one of seven individuals charged by the England and Wales Cricket Board in June last year as part of an investigation stemming largely from allegations made by Rafiq over racial harassment and bullying at Yorkshire.

During a hearing, held in London last month, Vaughan accepted that the phrase “there’s too many of you lot, we need to have a word about that” was racist but categorically denied ever having said it.

Delivering their verdict this morning, the independent CDC panel said their findings “do not in any way undermine the wider assertions made by Rafiq”, but said they had been “required to concentrate on the focused evidence presented to it by both parties in respect of one comment, made in two parts, on an afternoon now nearly 14 years ago”. “This is not a case which necessitated a conclusion from the Panel that anyone has lied or acted out of malice,” the verdict read. “Far from it, the Panel had to consider whether the case as presented to it by the ECB, in light of all the evidence, was sufficiently accurate and reliable, on the balance of probabilities, to rule out mistake. It was not.” During the hearing, Vaughan’s lawyer had warned that his client’s “life and livelihood” were at stake and criticised the ECB’s investigation as “wholly inadequate”, after it emerged that several players and umpires involved in the infamous 2009 match were not spoken to, and nor was the Sky camera operator whose broadcast footage showed the huddle.

Reacting to being cleared on this morning, Vaughan said in a statement on social media that the process had “brought me to the brink of falling out of love with cricket”.

“It has been both difficult and upsetting to hear about the painful experiences which Azeem has described over the past three years,” Vaughan said. “The outcome of these CDC proceedings must not be allowed to detract from the core message that there can be no place for racism in the game of cricket, or in society generally.”

Vaughan was the only one of seven individuals charged to appear at the hearing in London earlier this month, with the cases against John Blain, Tim Bresnan, Andrew Gale, Matthew Hoggard and Richard Pyrah all heard in their absences after the quintet refused to take part. They were this morning found guilty of at least some part of the charges made against them. The seventh individual, Gary Balance, had already admitted liability and is awaiting news of any sanction.

Yorkshire also admitted to four charges in February, and yesterday managing director Darren Gough aired his frustration at the delay in a decision over their punishment. “Last year we thought something was going to happen and it didn’t, now we’re here again this year,” Gough said.