LONDON: England captain Joe Root said the racism scandal engulfing his club Yorkshire has fractured the sport and has called for change and action to make cricket better.

“These events have fractured our game and torn lives apart,” Root said in a statement issued Thursday in his first public comments since Yorkshire settled an employment tribunal case with Azeem Rafiq, who had reported a culture of racism and bullying at English cricket’s most successful team.

In later comments, Root said he had not personally witnessed incidents of racism at Yorkshire.

Yorkshire has already lost sponsors and the right to host England international matches at its Headingley home in the wake of an escalating scandal that has set in motion additional investigations and led to boardroom changes at the county club.

The 30-year-old Root has played for Yorkshire his entire career and has been a teammate of Rafiq, who was the team’s youngest-ever captain.

“I want to see change and actions that will see YCCC (Yorkshire County Cricket Club) rise from this with a culture that harnesses a diverse environment with trust across all communities that support cricket in the county,” Root said, adding that he will “offer support however I’m able to the team’s leadership.”

Speaking to reporters in a conference call from Australia’s Gold Coast, where he is based for England’s pre-Ashes training camp, Root made it clear he had not witnessed any acts of racism.

“But it is clear things have happened at the club and we have to make sure we eradicate it,” he said.

Rafiq posted a tweet hours after Root’s statement and comments.

“Disappointed is not even the feeling, he wrote, without referring to Root. “Incredibly Hurt. But uncomfortable truths are hard to accept it seems.”

Rafiq, a former England under-19 captain, said in interviews last year that as a Muslim he was made to feel like an outsider during two stints at Yorkshire from 2008-18 and was close to taking his own life.

A formal investigation was commissioned by Yorkshire in September 2020 into 43 allegations made by Rafiq, with seven of them upheld in a report released only in September under pressure from lawmakers. It found Rafiq was the victim of racial harassment and bullying.

It also said a racial slur directed at Rafiq was delivered in the spirit of friendly banter, according to Yorkshire. The club said it would not take any disciplinary action against any of its employees, players or executives but its newly appointed chairman, Kamlesh Patel, apologised to Rafiq this week, praising him for his bravery.

The England and Wales Cricket Board has started its own investigation and criticized the club for its wholly unacceptable response to the racism faced by Rafiq.

In his statement, Root said racism and discrimination were problems that reached far and wide, beyond the world of cricket, and invited everybody to play their part in combatting it.

“In my opinion, this is a societal issue and needs addressing further afield than just cricket,” he said.

“That being said, we, as a sport, all have to do more. How can we all help shape things moving forward positively? What can everyone from myself, the ECB, counties, players, officials and others in the sport do to improve the state of the game? I certainly don’t have all the answers, but I think we need to educate more and earlier; we must call it out straight away and have our eyes and ears open more.”

Published in Dawn, November 12th, 2021