Michael Vaughan opens up on huge toll cricket racism case has taken on his family

Michael Vaughan says he "burst out crying" when he learned that the racism charge made against him was dismissed on Friday.

The former England Test cricket captain had been accused of using racist language towards ex teammate Azeem Rafiq and three other Asian players before a Yorkshire match in 2009. Vaughan was accused of telling Rafiq, Adil Rashid, Rana Naved-ul-Hasan and Ajmal Shahzad: "There's too many of you lot, we need to have a word about that."

However, Vaughan has now been cleared of the charge "on the balance of probabilities" following an eight-day Cricket Discipline Commission (CDC) hearing earlier this month. The CDC panel's findings concluded that the ECB's case against Vaughan could not be proven.

The 48-year-old had attended the public hearing in London to defend himself, while the five other former Yorkshire players and coaches accused did not participate.

Matthew Hoggard, Tim Bresnan, Andrew Gale, Richard Pyrah and John Blain were all found liable of using racist and/or discriminatory language.

And Vaughan, who always categorically denied the allegation against him, has now opened up on the huge toll that the case has had on his family ever since the accusation was made following an independent report into Rafiq's accounts of racial discrimination at the Headingley club.

Vaughan said he "burst out crying" when the charge was dropped (AP)

He has revealed the stress the case has caused for his wife and kids while he sought to clear his name. “I just burst out crying,” Vaughan said in an interview with The Telegraph. "It was just the pure relief when your lawyer says you’re cleared.

"The hardest thing for me has been to see the suffering of my family and the families of Azeem Rafiq, Adil Rashid and all the lads involved. The trauma these individuals have had to go through has not been fair on human beings.

"When your wife is having to take beta blockers for 16 months and you wake up in the middle of the night and she is crying her eyes out it is so hard. Anyone with kids knows they don’t give much away, but I know how hard it has been for them and the children of all those involved."