menu arrow-down reddit snapchat twitter facebook comments email printer search bell top-nav reddit-fill snapchat-fill twitter-fill facebook-fill share whatsapp-fill bookmark
ENG
  • Select Languages
  • हिंदी | Hindi
Search
Cricket
  • Scores
  • Series
  • Fixtures
  • Results
  • News
  • Photos
  • Videos
  • Features
  • Teams
  • Players
  • Venues
  • ICC Rankings
  • Test Championship
Sports Home Cricket News Was Close To Committing Suicide During My Stint With Yorkshire Says Azeem Rafiq

Was Close To "Committing Suicide" During My Stint With Yorkshire, Says Azeem Rafiq

Advertisement
Ad

Former England U-19 cricketer Azeem Rafiq alleged racism at Yorkshire and said he was close to committing suicide during his stint at the club.

  • Asian News International
  • Updated: September 03, 2020 03:45 pm IST
Read Time: 2 min
Was Close To "Committing Suicide" During My Stint With Yorkshire, Says Azeem Rafiq
I was living my family's dream as a professional cricketer, but inside I was dying, said Azeem Rafiq.© AFP

Highlights

  • Former England U-19 cricketer Azeem Rafiq alleges racism at Yorkshire
  • "I was living my family's dream... but inside I was dying," said Rafiq.
  • Yorkshire doesn't want to listen and they don't want to change, he said.

Former England U-19 spinner Azeem Rafiq claimed that during his stint with county club Yorkshire he thought of killing himself due to alleged racism. "I know how close I was to committing suicide during my time at Yorkshire. I was living my family's dream as a professional cricketer, but inside I was dying. I was dreading going to work. I was in pain every day," ESPNcricinfo quoted Rafiq as saying. The player also alleged that he felt like an outsider in the side as there was nobody from a similar background.

"There were times I did things to try and fit in that, as a Muslim, I now look back on and regret. I'm not proud of it at all. But as soon as I stopped trying to fit in, I was an outsider. There were no coaches on the staff from a similar background who understood what it was like," he added.

Former Yorkshire skipper Rafiq was very much shocked by the club's approach towards his complaint. The player's allegations were not addressed by the club authorities.

"Yorkshire doesn't want to listen and they don't want to change. And part of the reason for that is the people who were involved in the incidents I'm talking about are still at the club. They just want to sweep it under the carpet," Rafiq said.

"Look at the facts and figures. Look at a squad photograph. Look at the coaches. How many non-white faces do you see? Despite the ethnic diversity of the cities in Yorkshire, despite the love for the game from Asian communities, how many people from those backgrounds are making it into the first team?" he added.

The 29-year-old now pursues a career away from the game and hopes to "prevent anyone else feeling the same pain."

"It's obvious to anyone who cares that there's a problem. Do I think there is institutional racism? It's at its peak in my opinion. It's worse than it's ever been. My only motivation now is to prevent anyone else feeling the same pain," he said.

According to the ESPNcricinfo report, Yorkshire have so far declined to make a public response to Rafiq''s claims.

Topics mentioned in this article
England U19 Cricket
Advertisement
Get the Latest Cricket Updates, Check IPL 2025 News, Schedule, Points Table and Results at NDTV Sports. Like Us On Facebook Or Follow Us On Twitter For More Sports Updates. You Can Also Download The NDTV Cricket App For Android Or iOS.
Show full article
Trending Links
  • Paralympics 2024
  • Jay Shah
  • Virat Kohli
  • Paralympics Medal Tally
  • India's Schedule Paralympics 2024
  • Rohit Sharma
Follow us on:
facebook
twitter
Cricket
  • Live Scores
  • Series
  • Fixtures
  • Results
  • News
  • Photos
  • Videos
  • Features
  • Teams
  • Players
  • Venues
  • ICC Ranking
Football
  • ISL 2022-23
  • EPL 2022-23
  • News
  • Features
  • Photos
  • Fixtures
  • Results
  • Videos
  • Teams
  • Players
  • Matchcentre
More Sports
Formula 1 Tennis Hockey Badminton Golf Nba Kabaddi Shooting Swimming Table Tennis
  • Advertise
  • About Us
  • Feedback
  • Disclaimer
  • Investor
  • Complaint Redressal
  • Careers
  • Contact Us
This website follows the DNPA Code of Ethics © Copyright NDTV Convergence Limited 2025. All rights reserved.
Select Language
  • Languages
  • हिंदी | Hindi
Search
  • Featured Links
    • England vs India
    • IPL 2025
    • IPL 2025 Schedule
    • EPL Table
    • EPL Schedule
  • Featured Sports
    • Cricket
    • Football
    • Formula 1
    • Tennis
    • Hockey
    • Golf
    • Badminton
  • More Sports
    • Kabaddi
    • NBA
    • Boxing
    • Athletics
    • Chess
    • Swimming
    • Shooting
    • Wrestling
    • Table tennis
    • Othersports
  • More from NDTV
    • NDTV
    • Business
    • Hindi
    • Movies
    • Cricket
    • Health
    • Food
    • Tech
    • Auto
    • Apps
    • Trains
    • Art
arrow-rgt arrow-next arrow-up refresh close link cog star book zap cricket football tennis formula-1 badminton hockey golf boxing ndtv-n check left-arrow right-arrow