Cricket bosses claim progress being made on tackling racism

Majid Haq is among the Scottish cricketers to have spoken openly about being racially abused

Scotland's national sports agency has said progress is being made in tackling racism in cricket.

It follows an independent review commissioned by Sportscotland which found the governance and leadership of the sport to be institutionally racist.

The review, published in July, highlighted 448 examples of racism within Cricket Scotland.

It made three immediate recommendations - including the appointment of a new Cricket Scotland board.

It must consist of 40% male and 40% female, with at least 25% from an ethnic minority.

The review was ordered after a number of allegations were made against Cricket Scotland and Western District Cricket Union (WDCU) last year.

They included accusations of racist abuse suffered by Scottish cricketers Majid Haq and Qasim Sheikh.

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An anonymous survey was later carried out, with 62% of those who responded saying they had experienced, seen or had reported to them incidents of racism, inequalities or discrimination.

The previous Cricket Scotland board resigned the day before publication of the Changing Boundaries report, which was carried out by the equality and diversity group Plan4Sport.

The sport's governing body was then placed in special measures, meaning Sportscotland effectively taking control until October 2023.

The report's other high-level recommendations also called for WDCU to be placed in special measures and for all investigations into allegations of racism to be carried out by a third party with the appropriate expertise.

Sportscotland has now published an interim update into the progress being made.

It says:

• Final interviews for a new board and chairman of Cricket Scotland are ongoing, with appointments to be confirmed by 21 October.

• WDCU's role in managing all disciplinary matters relating to its competitions and clubs has been suspended.

• An independent process to consider and investigate complaints was established on 13 September.

Sportscotland's chief operating officer Forbes Dunlop said it was important that progress continued to be made over the coming months "to deliver the cultural change that we all want to see in Scottish cricket".

He added: "It is essential that Cricket Scotland appoints a diverse board that has the skillset to take the sport forward. That will be an important step in demonstrating real and meaningful change.

"It is unacceptable that anyone who has experienced racist abuse and discrimination while playing cricket, and where that has been the case, steps must be taken to address the past."

Cricket Scotland's interim chief executive Gordon Arthur said "the long process to rebuild trust with our communities" had begun.

Majid Haq and Qasim Sheikh, two players who have spoken openly about being racially abused, have said they would like a public apology for what they went through.

Mr Haq represented Scotland on more than 200 occasions but did not play again after being sent home from the 2015 World Cup. At the time he hinted he felt victimised on grounds of race.

Last year former Yorkshire player Azeem Rafiq told MPs that English cricket was "institutionally" racist.

His testimony led to changes in Yorkshire's leadership, Headingley being temporarily stripped of hosting international matches, and the England and Wales Cricket Board putting together a 12-point plan to tackle racism in the game.