In the midst of his testimony to MPs at the digital, culture, media and sport select committee in 2021, Azeem Rafiq uttered a prescient line. Referring to Michael Vaughan after the former England captain had been implicated in the Yorkshire Cricket scandal, Rafiq warned: “It’s important we don’t make it all about Michael.”
Throughout this period Rafiq’s stance has been consistent: this is not about individuals but about a broken system, a deeply flawed cricket club and an entire sport affected by institutional racism. Hunting down culprits and hanging them in the town square was only going to divert eyes from the “structural problem” that needs tackling.
