A week before the start of the Championship season, window cleaners with long-armed squeegees were scrubbing Headingley’s pavilion, but it has proved far more difficult for Yorkshire to emerge from the grubby haze left by Azeem Rafiq’s allegations and their aftermath.
Eighteen months after the club published a summary of the report into Rafiq’s claims, on the day of the cancelled Old Trafford Test against India, the process is still in limbo. The Cricket Disciplinary Commission is expected to give its verdict on Friday – Yorkshire have pleaded guilty on four counts, including a failure to address systemic use of racist and/or discriminatory language over a prolonged period – but the announcement of any sanctions is not expected until later.
