Gary Ballance apologises to Azeem Rafiq for racist behaviour - I realise that the language I used was wrong
India Today
Back in November 2021, the England and Wales Cricket Board (ECB) suspended Gary Ballance indefinitely after Yorkshire county was found guilty of 'instututional racism'.
England batter Gary Ballance, on Thursday, August 25, issued an apology to Azeem Rafiq for his racist behaviour towards his Yorkshire teammate. Back in November 2021, Ballance was suspended indefinitely from all forms of cricket after the controversy surrounding ‘institutional racism’ at the English cricket club.
The England and Wales Cricket Board (ECB) had banned Yorkshire cricket from hosting any major matches and Ballance also ended up bearing the brunt. Recently, Ballance, who played 23 Tests and 16 ODIs for the Three Lions, said that he regrets being hurtful towards his teammate.
"I did use unacceptable - at times, racist - language. If I had realised how much this hurt Azeem, I would have stopped immediately," Ballance was quoted as saying in BBC.
"I wanted to meet him and be clear in person that I intended no malice. That's not an excuse. I realise that the language I used was wrong," he stated.
"I have wanted to meet Azeem in person for quite some time, but I had to make sure I was in a good place when I did so. Azeem has been through similar mental health challenges and understands why this has taken me a little time.
"I have accepted, from the outset, the words I used were wrong and I hope this statement brings Azeem some comfort. There is no place in our sport for this behaviour and I am determined to play my part in ridding the game from racism and make it more inclusive. To do this, we all need to be honest and learn from our past mistakes," Ballance added.
Earlier, it was Rafiq’s claims that brought Yorkshire cricket under the scanner. Thereafter, the ECB conducted an investigation and after a board meeting, it decided to take action against Yorkshire and Ballance.
