Azeem Rafiq has said he feels "relieved" after Yorkshire 's members voted in favour of reforms mandated by the ECB in the wake of the county's racism scandal.
Yorkshire were sanctioned by the ECB over the scandal, with the club banned from hosting international matches. They were told in February that the ban had been conditionally lifted on the proviso that several reforms were passed by the club's members.
And those reforms have now been voted through by members in an extraordinary general meeting. In a statement, Yorkshire said: "The Members of Yorkshire County Cricket Club tonight overwhelmingly passed three special resolutions at an Extraordinary General Meeting (EGM) held in the Long Room at Headingley.
"The club can now continue to drive the right approach through essential governance reforms and meets conditions set by the England & Wales Cricket Board for the return of International and major matches at their ground." Yorkshire chairman Lord Patel described the news as "an overwhelming vote for positive change".
"We welcome the outcome of this EGM and thank the Members for their full and proper consideration, an open exchange of views, and their votes," he said. "It is an overwhelming vote for positive change.
"This support will help Yorkshire County Cricket Club to be an inclusive and welcoming place and gives us the clarity and certainty we need to keep building this great club. Yorkshire has now met the ECB’s conditions for the return of international cricket and, working with them, we’ll deliver some great events here at Headingley this summer."
Reacting to the news on Twitter, Rafiq said he was happy the club had chosen a "bright, inclusive future". He also praised Lord Patel for his "strong leadership".
Rafiq wrote: "Relieved to see Lord Patel’s reforms backed today and that Yorkshire members chose a bright, inclusive future for my club. Big opportunity to show the world what can be achieved when you have strong leadership & good people".
As a result of the vote, Headingley will host two England matches later this summer, a Test match against New Zealand in June and an ODI clash with South Africa in July.
