Azeem Rafiq & Andrew Gale among five reprimanded for historical social media posts

Andrew Gale and Azeem Rafiq were team-mates at Yorkshire

Azeem Rafiq and Andrew Gale are among five current and former players reprimanded by the England and Wales Cricket Board for historical social media posts of a racist nature.

Rafiq had previously apologised for a Facebook exchange from 2011 containing anti-Semitic messages.

Former coach Gale was suspended by Yorkshire for a tweet from 2010.

England batter Danni Wyatt, Somerset's Jack Brooks and Birmingham Phoenix's Eve Jones have also been reprimanded.

All five admitted to the posts.

Allegations made by former Yorkshire spinner Rafiq, 31, sparked the racism scandal that has dogged English cricket for much of the past two years.

His Facebook messages came to light in November 2021, at which time he said he had "absolutely no excuses".

Following the claims made by Rafiq, Gale was one of 16 people to have their employment terminated by Yorkshire in December.

He had been suspended for the tweet in question the previous month. At the time he said he was "completely unaware" of the offensive nature of the term used and deleted the tweet as soon as he was made aware.

Gale, 38, is facing further charges from the ECB, but has said he will "not engage" with the disciplinary process.

Somerset fast bowler Jack Brooks, also 38, was found to have used a racially offensive term in two tweets that were deleted in November last year after being highlighted in a newspaper report.

Wyatt, 31, and 30-year-old Jones posed together with black make-up on their faces in a picture that was posted on Instagram in 2013 and deleted in April 2021 after a complaint from a member of the public.

'More difficult times ahead'

Analysis by BBC Sport chief cricket writer Stephan Shemilt

This is the latest episode in the racism scandal that has torn English cricket apart and is far from over.

While the indiscretions of Rafiq, Gale and Brooks were already in the public domain, the offences of Wyatt and Jones are new revelations.

In the case of Jones, the ECB have acknowledged that it came before she was a professional cricketer.

There are more difficult times ahead, too. Former Yorkshire physio Wayne Morton, one of the 16 let go by the club, is taking his case to the High Court, while charges laid by the ECB against Yorkshire, Gale and other individuals are due to be heard before the end of the year.

The Independent Commission for Equity in Cricket is also currently writing a report based on the collection of thousands of pieces of evidence. The ECB has acknowledged the report is likely to make for uncomfortable reading.