Former Yorkshire player and coach Richard Pyrah has broken his silence after becoming the latest individual to withdraw from the ECB's disciplinary process into Azeem Rafiq allegations of racism.
Seven individuals were charged by the ECB over claims made by Rafiq, who was found by an independent report to have been a victim of "racial harassment and bullying" during his time at Yorkshire.
However, Pyrah has now joined Matthew Hoggard, Tim Bresnan, John Blain and Andrew Gale in pulling out of the process, with former England captain Michael Vaughan the only individual set to attend his hearing as Gary Ballance has accepted the charge against him. In a statement, Pyrah said Rafiq's allegations have been both "badly handled" and "not appropriately challenged".
The 40-year-old, who spent 12 years playing for Yorkshire before joining their coaching staff, claimed he had been "charged by the ECB on racism points that I had never heard of" and that he has "lost a very promising professional coaching career" as a result.
"I feel that the allegations of racism made by Azeem Rafiq have been badly handled," Pyrah said. "They have not been appropriately challenged and appear to me to have been taken at face value by Lord Patel and the ECB.
"When Azeem Rafiq initially made his allegations not one was made against me personally. During the ECB investigation I was never once accused of, or asked about, any specific racism point against me. Then I found out I have been charged by the ECB on racism points that I had never heard of, or questioned on, before.
"During my 22 years as a professional cricketer at YCCC I have built up a good reputation, enjoyed the support of the members and had some memorable times, mainly through the rapport with all the players and staff I have worked with over the years. I built strong relationships with everyone I worked with and made sure I was always there for them, no matter what, including Azeem."
Pyrah was among the staff sacked by Lord Patel after he became Yorkshire chair and the club ended up agreeing to pay compensation to Pyrah and other staff members after they won a case for unfair dismissal, with Yorkshire stating: "The club has acknowledged that its dismissals of that group of employees was procedurally unfair."
In an interview with the Cricketer, Lord Patel said the sackings were "absolutely the right thing to do". The ECB, meanwhile, have insisted their process has been "both rigorous and fair" and the hearings will still be heard without the charged individuals involved.
"Individuals are entitled to choose not to participate in the hearings if they wish, but the cases will still be heard in their absence and we are satisfied that the disciplinary process in this matter has been both rigorous and fair," the ECB said in a statement. "The ECB's investigation and disciplinary process has been overseen by an independent committee and specialist leading King's Counsel (KC).
"As with any case before the Cricket Discipline Commission, defendants are entitled to a fair hearing by an independent and experienced CDC Panel where they can call witnesses, and they can also challenge the evidence in support of the charge, including through cross-examination of the ECB’s witnesses.
"It is entirely the decision of defendants if they choose not to take advantage of this opportunity. At the end of the hearing it is for the independent CDC Panel, not the ECB, to determine guilt or otherwise and any sanction."
An ECB spokesperson said: “Every individual who has been charged in relation to this matter was written to by the ECB with details of allegations against them and given the opportunity to respond to them, which they did.
"This was months ahead of any charges being laid in June 2022. Any individual respondent who requested the opportunity to speak with the ECB investigating team was also spoken to well in advance of the charges being laid.”
A spokesperson for Lord Patel told The Mirror he is abroad and unable to respond.
