Racism in England cricket: As former teammate and friend, it's hard to see Azeem Rafiq hurting, says Joe Root

England captain Joe Root has expressed sympathy for Azeem Rafiq after the former Yorkshire spinner alleged that he had been a victim of institutional racism at the club. Yorkshire apologised to Rafiq after an independent investigation found that historically he was the ‘victim of inappropriate behavior.’

England men’s Test team captain Joe Root on Tuesday said that it is hard to see his former Yorkshire teammate Azeem Rafiq ‘hurting’ following his allegations of ‘institutional racism’ at the cricket club. Rafiq, a player of Pakistani origin who captained the England Under-19 side, had alleged racist abuse at Yorkshire stretching back to 2008.