Azeem Rafiq calls for Cricket Scotland chair Anjan Luthra to depart after ‘quite scary lack of respect’ | Cricket News

Azeem Rafiq has called for the chair of Cricket Scotland Anjan Luthra to step down, after showing “a quite scary lack of respect to everyone”.

Luthra, who was only brought into the role in October 2022, recently claimed “significant progress” had been made around Cricket Scotland’s approach to equality, diversity and inclusion (EDI) – something met with widespread disagreement.

Indeed, Cricket Scotland has since been branded “unfit for purpose”, “tone deaf” and “arrogant” following its latest update.

Last July, Sky Sports News revealed a damning review found the governing body failed on almost all tests of institutional racism.

“What we saw over the last couple of days with the Cricket Scotland stuff, to be honest it felt like something was coming,” Rafiq told Sky Sports on Thursday.

“I think the lack of respect shown by the chair towards everyone really, from what’s been communicated to me, is quite scary considering he was brought in on the back of a pretty damning report.

“I think it’s unfortunate, I’m not sure his position is tenable anymore, and they need to bring in someone who is going to start communicating with all key stakeholders.

“We all have to be [frustrated by the pace of the change]. We’ve got to start becoming impatient.

“Yes, I accept and understand change takes time, but we’ve been hearing that for decades. I don’t want my kids to be having these conversations.

“I want my kids to be treated fairly, equally, with respect, and if I have to continue putting my head above the parapet to do that, I will.”

Cricket Scotland ‘unfit for purpose’, ‘tone deaf’ and ‘arrogant’ | ‘EDI claims are unsubstantiated nonsense’

Cricket Scotland was branded “unfit for purpose”, “tone deaf” and “arrogant” following its latest update on steps taken to tackle racism.

The full Cricket Scotland board stepped down last year prior to the publication of an independent review, with Gordon Arthur named interim CEO.

Arthur is now stepping down from his role next month for personal reasons.

As part of Tuesday’s update, a statement from new chair Luthra outlined significant progress made around Cricket Scotland’s approach to equality, diversity and inclusion (EDI), and he cited a new diversity working group as another step in the right direction.

However, anti-racism group Running Out Racism – which helped with the investigation last year – called those claims “unsubstantiated nonsense”.

Furthermore, the group says Cricket Scotland’s statement has “set back trust significantly” and “demonstrated that the governing body is failing in learning from mistakes of the past”.

Running Out Racism also revealed it has tried to raise concerns in private but is “sick of fighting for change in public with no results”.

The statement read: “The release by Cricket Scotland today has set back trust significantly and demonstrated that the governing body is failing in learning from the mistakes of the past.

“In order to address the issues in the sport, they must meaningfully engage with people. Not just Running Out Racism, but the wider cricketing community.

“Today’s release flies in the face of that. It is tone deaf and arrogant.

“To say they have significantly upgraded [their] approach to EDI is unsubstantiated nonsense. Unless that substantial upgrade is referring to ticking boxes as opposed to the previous strategy of ignoring the problem. They continue to ignore the very people who have been ignored for so long.

“To cite the EDI working group as an achievement is frankly embarrassing. At the first meeting in January, formed after five months of faffing around, some members of the group raised significant concerns around the intent of the governing body to meaningfully engage with people who have expertise in this area.

“Following that, the governing body put out a positive update, which was astounding to some who sat in that same meeting, and has subsequently ignored the group. None of today’s changes have made it to that group for consultation. A group that took five months to form and has only met once.”

‘Cricket Scotland not fit for purpose’

The issues of institutional racism came to light following an interview on Sky Sports News with Scotland’s Majid Haq and team-mate Qasim Sheikh

The lawyer representing both players, Aamer Anwar, said: “Despite the horrific exposure of institutional racism, Cricket Scotland’s empty soundbites today shows that it remains unfit for purpose.

“Both Majid Haq and Qasim Sheikh are sad to see the chief executive Gordon Arthur step down, he was a man who genuinely fought for change to take place.

“My clients, both Majid and Qasim, believe the chair has failed to deliver or inspire genuine confidence from across the sport, and they regard the process as little more than an ‘arrogant cosmetic box ticking exercise’.

“It’s time that Sport Scotland stepped in with special measures, the only winners today are institutional racism and the dinosaurs who now appear even more entrenched.”

Will special measures be lifted?

In July it was revealed there were 448 examples of institutional racism and discrimination identified within the game by the Changing The Boundaries report – which led to Cricket Scotland being put in special measures by funding body SportScotland.

However, as part of the six-month update, Luthra said he expected the progress being made will lead to those measures being lifted.

Luthra said: “Our current trajectory means that we will exit special measures by October 31 and ensure Cricket Scotland continues its work towards becoming the most inclusive sport in the country over the long term.”

However, Scotland’s national agency for sport responded by clarifying only it will make that decision.

A SportScotland spokesperson said: “We are considering the various points raised in Cricket Scotland’s latest update.

“We welcome the progress that has been made to date but we are clear that only by engaging in real and meaningful consultation will cultural change be delivered within the sport.

“The final decision on whether Cricket Scotland exits special measures will be taken by SportScotland and will be dependent on all recommendations from the Changing The Boundaries report being met in full.”