Ex-England Test player Gary Ballance says sorry to Azeem Rafiq for the ‘unacceptable’ and ‘racist’ language he used against his former Yorkshire team-mate
- Gary Ballance has issued an unreserved apology to Azeem Rafiq
- Ballance admitted referring to Rafiq as ‘P***’ in ‘banter’ between them
- The 32-year-old issued a statement after the pair had met earlier this week
Gary Ballance issued an unreserved apology on Thurdsay to his ex-Yorkshire team-mate Azeem Rafiq for using racist language towards him.
Ballance, 32, met his former colleague earlier this week and, in a statement released by Rafiq’s lawyers, said: ‘I apologise unreservedly to Azeem for the words I used when we played together.
‘I did use unacceptable — at times racist — language. If I had realised how much this hurt Azeem, I would have stopped immediately. That’s why 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.
Gary Ballance issued an unreserved apology to his ex-Yorkshire team-mate Azeem Rafiq
‘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 of racism and make it more inclusive. To do this we all need to be honest and learn from our past mistakes.’
Last November, following an independent investigation into allegations of racism at Headingley, ex-England Test player Ballance admitted referring to Rafiq as ‘P***’ in ‘banter’ between them.
Two months ago, he was one of seven men with Yorkshire connections charged by the ECB with bringing the game into disrepute.
Ex-England Test player Ballance admitted referring to Rafiq as ‘P***’ in ‘banter’ between them
Ballance has not played a professional match this summer due to mental health issues. He explained those had contributed to a delay in attending a meeting with Rafiq, who said: ‘All I ever wanted was acceptance and apologies for what happened.
‘Gary got things wrong, so did many people. The main issue is cricket’s institutional racism. Gary’s courage means he is now part of the solution. I hope he can be allowed to get on with his cricket.’
Ballance had been expected to return to action for Yorkshire in the Royal London Cup group stage but now appears set to resume his career in the final rounds of the County Championship next month.
Ballance has not played a professional match this summer due to mental health issues
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