‘P***, paedo, terrorist’: The horrific stories exposed in English cricket report – in their own words
A damning report has detailed the extent of classism, racism and sexism endemic at all levels of the sport.
A damning report into the state of English cricket from the the grassroots level up has a laid bare a classist, sexist, racist and alcohol-fuelled culture that excludes many people from the game.
The report, published by the Independent Commission for Equity in Cricket (ICEC), contains snippets of testimony from those who have experienced the toxic and discriminatory culture first-hand – from players, parents, umpires and scorers.
Cindy Butts, chair of the ICEC, said the “horrific” stories revealed women being constantly stereotyped, demeaned, and facing predatory behaviour.
She said the commission had heard from women who are having to walk into scoreboxes and face signs that say ‘no bras allowed’. She added "We heard from a former Muslim player who had to endure the indignity of his team-mates laughing and joking about one of the players using the prayer mat to clean up after sex.".
In a letter to her, English Cricket Board (ECB) chair Richard Thompson apologised and said: “We will use this moment to reset cricket.”
Read more on cricket report:
English cricket rocked by damning new report into racism, sexism and class discrimination (Evening Standard)
Holding Up a Mirror to Cricket Q&A: what does it mean for the game? (Guardian)
Azeem Rafiq’s case against Yorkshire has changed cricket – and there is more to come (Telegraph, March 2023)
Here are some of the most damning testimonies from those who shared their experiences of cricket with the ICEC:
"I think that within the dressing room and the dressing room culture, the way women are treated and spoken about, and I’ve been guilty of this myself, is nothing short of a disgrace. It really – it is so bad, that as I’ve said, once you dive into this, this would be one of the biggest issues that would come out of dressing room culture. The respect for women is just not there" – Men’s current or former professional player
"Our daughter had her long hair cut into a shoulder length bob and the captain told her she looked like a lesbian. When we made a formal complaint, it was dismissed as banter. ‘She’s one of the lads’, they said" – White woman, parent/guardian
"[I have been] told: 'A lady cannot be a good umpire. I should go back home. Get off the field. Women’s cricket is sh*t. Women can’t make decisions. Women shouldn’t even umpire'" – Unattributed to protect confidentiality
"Three Asian players who were speaking to each other in Urdu when the coach walked in and said to us directly: ‘I don’t want any of that sh*t spoken in here’" – Asian (Pakistani) man, former professional player
"All the stories that Azeem Rafiq talks about, that all happened to me. All the abuse, the isolation, the hatred. [Teammates] poured alcohol on me. They threw bacon sandwiches at me. I have lived with all that and never spoke to anyone about it" – Asian (Pakistani) man, state school, former player
"I could write a book about it: P***’, ‘paedo’, ‘nonce’, ‘terrorist’: you name it" – Asian (Pakistani) man, recreational player, volunteer
"I overheard senior players talking about how they slept with a girl and then used a fellow Muslim player’s prayer mat to clean up the mess. I was sat with the players when they were sharing this as a joke!" – Asian (Indian) man, former professional player
"I think that within the dressing room and the dressing room culture, the way women are treated and spoken about, and I’ve been guilty of this myself, is nothing short of a disgrace. It really – it is so bad, that as I’ve said, once you dive into this, this would be one of the biggest issues that would come out of dressing room culture. The respect for women is just not there" – men’s current or former professional player
"As a scorer I was once told by a player that he really liked when I scored for the team. When I asked why, he stated: ‘It’s nice to have something to look at’. As an 18-year-old being told this by a senior player, I felt disgusted, and I haven’t scored since. I felt like I wasn’t valued as a person, player, or volunteer, and was only wanted there to gawp at. I told another senior player, but nothing was done" – White woman, recreational player, coach, scorer
"If you don’t drink, you don’t get into cricket. Literally there is no other way the grassroot game functions" – men’s current or former professional player
"Pissed guys ‘sexting’ my daughter. It’s demeaning and threatening, so she stopped playing to avoid being exposed to that crap. How is this even allowed to happen in 2021?" – white woman, parent/guardian
I" went to one social and never went back again, it was horrific, but I stayed playing. Most women go to one social and leave. At the AGM, the men refused to understand the link between alcohol, their behaviour, and the lack of a stable women’s team. It was all just a laugh to them" – white woman, recreational player
"Continued racism in the league and difficulty finding a club where I was treated equally despite being born and raised in the UK. Ultimately, I gave up after 15 years of playing. The final straw was being nicknamed ‘Joe’ (short for Joe Daki, which is cockney rhyming slang for ‘P***’). After that I stopped playing" – Asian (Indian) man, recreational player
"[Cricket needs] to dispel the image of cricket being only for White, middle/upper class men, and make it appear available to everybody" – white man, state school, staff member (at the ECB or a County organisation)
