Yorkshire: Lord Patel to step down as chair in March

Lord Patel replaced Roger Hutton as chair in November 2021

Lord Patel has announced he will step down as Yorkshire chair at the club's next annual general meeting in March.

Patel, 62, was appointed in November 2021 after Roger Hutton resigned over the club's response to the Azeem Rafiq racism scandal.

Former Yorkshire spinner Rafiq said in 2020 that abuse at the club had left him close to taking his own life.

"It has been an honour and a privilege to work for such a prestigious organisation," said Patel.

Patel has overseen extensive changes at Yorkshire after taking over amid the fallout from Rafiq's allegations and widespread criticism of how the club handled the case.

An independent whistleblowing hotline for victims of discrimination has been opened and structural reforms at the club have meant Headingley can now host internationals again.

The club has also gained new sponsors, having lost a significant number over its handling of the scandal.

"Lord Kamlesh Patel should be thanked for making sure Yorkshire has still got the lights on," tweeted Rafiq.

Director of cricket Martyn Moxon, head coach Andrew Gale and all members of the coaching staff were among 16 people to leave Yorkshire under the new regime in December 2021.

Former England and Yorkshire pace bowler Darren Gough has been permanently appointed managing director of cricket, former West Indies all-rounder Ottis Gibson took over as head coach in January 2022 and Stephen Vaughan has been appointed chief executive officer.

"I would like to thank those members who have been hugely supportive of the changes that the board have introduced at Headingley," added Patel.

"I would also like to thank the staff and board members who have all worked tirelessly during what has been a transformational period in Yorkshire's history.

"There is still much for the club to do, but I have the strongest faith that Yorkshire will be back at the pinnacle of English cricket for the long term."

Patel hopes Yorkshire can move on without 'baggage'

Speaking to the Digital, Culture, Media and Sport committee last month, Patel said his job has felt "relentless" since taking over and also detailed racist abuse he has received.

He added that "the way things are needs to change" and that women have been "forgotten" within Yorkshire.

In a new interview with the Cricketer magazine on announcing his departure, Patel said he has "achieved most of the things I came in to achieve but, in doing so, I have attracted some fierce criticism".

He added: "My hope is that when I go, I will take the criticism with me and the new management at the club will be able to move forward without any of that baggage.

"Personally, I can live with the criticism. But it is damaging to the club for so many staff hours to be consumed by these issues. We had a small group of people who wanted to find procedural obstacles to thwart our progress, and we have had to spend many hours and much money to counter them.

"They were resources we could have been using to bring in new sponsorship deals. I honestly believe these attacks, from a very small group of people, have cost the club millions of pounds.

"Ironically, I would have left the club much quicker - which seems to be what they want - had they not tried so hard to derail me. I never sought to be Yorkshire chair. I never wanted to be in the role for years and years. I was here to do a job and that job is complete."

Patel added that he will continue overseeing Yorkshire's response to Cricket Discipline Commission (CDC) charges relating to the racism allegations at the club.

Disciplinary proceedings were due to begin in November but have been delayed because appeals against holding the hearing in public need to be heard first.

As well as Yorkshire, former England internationals Michael Vaughan, Matthew Hoggard, Tim Bresnan, Gary Ballance, ex-Scotland international John Blain, and former Yorkshire coaches Gale and Richard Pyrah have been charged by the England and Wales Cricket Board (ECB).

Patel, who will also stay on while one legal case brought by a former employee remains outstanding, said he maintained that dismissing those staff was "absolutely the right thing to do".

He added: "By instinct, I always want to take people with me on the journey. But some people wouldn't accept the extent of the problem or the need to change. We had to move on without them.

"It wasn't just about Azeem, either. I spoke to hundreds of people who had suffered in a similar way. But they won't come forward as they have seen what happened to Azeem.

"And it wasn't all institutional racism. There was some very deliberate, very conscious racism."

In April 2022, members overwhelmingly passed three special resolutions, which also meant Patel was confirmed as chair after former chairman Robin Smith had said his appointment was "invalid".

Patel had previously said a group of individuals had been seeking to "delay and derail" reform at Yorkshire.

"There really was a possibility that Yorkshire, as a recognisable organisation, might not exist any more," Patel told the Cricketer.

"We had no sponsors and we had no major matches. Our basic governance was very poor.

"We had to regain the confidence of the ECB and sponsors and we did that by showing we had undergone a cultural change and that our governance was the best in class. And we had to make those changes very fast."

In a statement Yorkshire said that under Patel, "important steps" have been taken to ensure matchdays are "more inclusive and offer a friendly atmosphere for all".

It added that the club now offers "a safe space for whistleblowers to report discrimination", more family friendly alcohol-free areas and has improved the diversity of their pathway programmes.

Chief executive Stephen Vaughan said Patel should be "extremely proud of what he has achieved" during his time as chair.

"The structures that have been put in place are vital in ensuring that Yorkshire is a club that people are proud to be associated with," he said.

"Equality, diversity and inclusivity are at the heart of our club and I am excited to work with the board, executive team and new chair to continue on this journey of meaningful change."