Azeem Rafiq has branded the ECB "not fit for purpose" and called for a "total clear-out" over the way they have handled cricket's racism scandal - but the English governing body have responded saying they are working hard to "deliver tangible progress".
Rafiq first went public with his experiences of suffering racist abuse while at Yorkshire in 2020 but no real action was taken until over a year later, with the ECB suspending the club from staging international or major matches and key figures at the county resigning.
Following Rafiq's harrowing testimony to the DCMS committee, the ECB released a 12-point action plan to tackle racism and discrimination within the game and say they have been working hard "across the sport to deliver tangible progress against the measures announced".
However, they have been criticised by Rafiq and Conservative MP Julian Knight, the chair of the DCMS committee. "The jury is out on the ECB leadership and also on Tom Harrison," Knight told the PA news agency earlier this year.
"We are very much watching. If the ECB fails in this, it's an existential crisis for the ECB. At the moment they're dual in their purpose, promoter and regulator.
"If they are not up to the task of being a regulator, then there may come a point in the future when we would have to ask that there'll be an independent regulator formed." And Rafiq has now called for an independent regulator, claiming "the game can't be trusted to regulate itself."
In an interview with the New Statesman , he said: "The ECB is not fit for purpose, simple as that. We need a total clear-out.
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"I said in January that the ECB needs a reset of its morals and values, and I firmly believe that nothing has changed. Cricket is too much of a boys' network: we need structural change.
"We need government to get involved, and an independent regulator, because the game can't be trusted to regulate itself." He added: "We're coming up to two years since I spoke out, and where we find the game, I think it's embarrassing.
"The system always looks for excuses not to take action. There's been an awful lot of lip service, and people are keener on covering themselves than on addressing the fundamental issues.
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"This is about understanding where the game has gone wrong. I used to think that people just didn't get it, but I've come to a different conclusion now. I think the leadership don't want to get it."
However, the ECB have responded, saying they are committed to delivering what steps have put in place but acknowledge that "there is more work to do and long-term impact will take time". An ECB spokesperson told Mirror Sport : "In November 2021, cricket committed to a wide-ranging set of actions to tackle racism and promote inclusion and diversity at all levels of the game.
"Since then, as well as bringing charges against Yorkshire CCC and a number of individuals following our investigation into allegations of racism at the club, the ECB has continued to work with all our partners across the sport to deliver tangible progress against the measures announced.
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"We have issued several public updates on the changes that have been delivered so far in 2022. These have included details on significant changes in leadership diversity across cricket, game-wide education programmes and a new partnership with Kick It Out.
"However, we know there is more work to do and long-term impact will take time. The ECB, alongside the rest of the game, will keep working hard to create a stronger, more inclusive sport."
In further updates on their initial 12-point action plan, the ECB revealed that 80% of county organisations had met board diversity targets, they have begun establishing a new Anti-Discrimination Unit and committed £2.5 million of funding to support facilities development, including multi-faith quiet rooms, accessible seating, and sensory rooms.