Azeem Rafiq considering leaving England after abuse and intimidation following Yorkshire racism revelations

Azeem Rafiq, whose allegations of racism in Yorkshire led to a series of reviews into the culture of the sport, is leaving England to protect his family from abuse and intimidation.

Azeem Rafiq considering leaving England after abuse following racism revelations (Reuters)

By India Today Web Desk: Former Yorkshire cricketer Azeem Rafiq is considering moving out of England to protect his family from facing hate attacks following his revelations in the racism row that led to a massive shake-up in English cricket.

“From the moment I spoke out about my experiences at YCCC, my family and I have been subjected to threats, attacks and intimidation,” Rafiq wrote on Twitter. Absolutely no individual or their family should be made to feel unsafe and I urge people to respect that,” Rafiq wrote in a tweet earlier this year.

Notably, Rafiq opened up about an “institutionally racist culture” at Yorkshire in 2020, including by former England players.

The cricketer, whose family moved to the UK from Pakistan after a business partner of his father was murdered following a bungled kidnapping attempt, is being subjected to abuse and threats, reported ‘Cricketer.com’.

“Rafiq has received a series of threats both online and in person in recent times and in one case, captured by CCTV earlier this month, an individual was seen defecating in the garden of the home where his parents live. In another, a masked intruder was seen prowling around the outside of the property,” the report said.

Rafiq’s father suffers from a medical condition and needs an oxygen cylinder all the time.Rafiq and four others were recently reprimanded by the England Cricket Discipline Commission for use of “anti-Semitic language” on social media in 2011.

Accepting the reprimand, Rafiq apologised to the Jewish community and said he was embarrassed.Rafiq was the whistleblower in the Yorkshire racism scandal — he first spoke about it in September 2020.

He then gave his testimony to a group of MPs and said he was “close to taking his own life” for the “toxic” dressing room atmosphere when Gary Ballance was appointed skipper during his second spell at the club.