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Post by Wicked Cricket on Mar 3, 2023 12:54:12 GMT
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Post by Wicked Cricket on Mar 4, 2023 11:28:59 GMT
Azeem Rafiq Hearing: Let The Debacle Continue ___________________________________________________As this is a court hearing about hearsays, Michael Vaughan’s testimony on Friday was met with a triumph for absurdity. The Daily Telegraph sums up the day with the heading “ECB's investigation conducted by Keystone Cops!” The Vaughan case surrounds a huddle of eleven players on the outfield in 2009 before a one-day game against Nottinghamshire. This huddle lasted no-more than two minutes. For that the former England Captain and now media pundit, has been to hell and back over a two and a half year period, where he admits that during that time, he has suffered bouts of ill-health brought on by stress and loss of revenue. All because Vaughan either said or didn’t say to four Asian players in the huddle, “There's too many of you lot, we need to do something about it” or “There's too many of you lot, we need to have a word about that”. The accuser, Azeem Rafiq, cannot remember the exact wording, although he is adamant the first part of the alleged comment took place. A Stressed-Looking Vaughan Outside the Arbitration Court (pic: Daily Mail)This hearing is not only a battle over extreme left-wing woke politics under the guise of racism, but an ECB who is desperate to win the case, otherwise its reputation will be in tatters. Oliver Brown, Chief Sports writer at the Telegraph, believes this has already occurred. He writes, “This Yorkshire racism case is being swamped under paperwork during proceedings close to the theatre of the absurd… Never have so many words been devoted to the examination of so few.” And continues, "In one of several bizarre episodes during these three days of evidence, officials at the International Arbitration Centre handed out 9 pages of the witness statement by Elizabeth Neto, Yorkshire’s former Head of Human Resources, for journalists to view. The entire document, save for two paragraphs, was redacted, just page after page of pointless black ink. Somehow, it encapsulated the sheer excess of this ordeal, in which enough paper to denude a Finnish forest has been expended on the narrowest of searches.” And what of this search? On day 3, Vaughan began his testimony by emphasising to the ECBs counsel, Jane Mulcahy KC, "I have it very clear in my mind... that I know I didn't say those words I'm alleged to have said." This later led, as hearsay goes, with Vaughan winning by an innings and countless runs. Of the eleven players in the huddle, only Rafiq and Rashid remember the alleged comment. Eight others including Ajmal Shahzad, Deon Kruis, Andrew Gale, Adam Lyth, Tim Bresnan and stand-in skipper Jacques Rudolph have no memory of it, while Rana Naved allegedly says via a hearsay of a hearsay, it did occur, but has no interest in getting involved. So we are left with 8 for Vaughan and 2, with a highly dodgy third, against. Even Rashid’s evidence is extremely dubious especially when Liz Neto stated in her witness statement, she recounted phone conversations with the spin bowler where the player “indicated to me he was being pressured to corroborate allegations of racism then being made, even though he didn’t want to. He said to me he’d told Mr Rafiq ‘no matter how many times you tell me I heard it Azeem, I cannot remember hearing it.’” Adding, “He told me on more than one occasion that he (Rashid) couldn’t remember it.” Rashid’s alleged pressurisation is also confirmed by Shahzad who told the ECB at a formal interview, "I question whether he’s (Rashid) accurate in what he's saying. I think Adil is being pressurised. He backed up Azeem's allegations two days before they went to a parliamentary hearing. Why? I can only think that some sort of external pressure was put on to him.” Add to the mix that these "two yeas" were friends and former business partners in a fish and chip shop, Rashid’s support of Rafiq is highly questionable, while Rafiq is renowned for being "an unreliable witness". Meanwhile, Vaughan’s defence clearly showed up the ECBs ineptitude at gathering evidence. Fortunately, the match in question was televised by Sky Sports where there is film of the actual huddle taking place. Close by are two umpires and cameramen. Had they been questioned? “No,” said the ECB prosecution. As for the non-Asian players in the huddle, it was left to Vaughan and his counsel to make contact and directly ask them. All six came back with a resounding “No!” to the allegation. The actual Huddle From 2009 Taking Place (pic: Sky Sports)Lawrence Booth writing for the Daily Mail soberly comments, “The Azeem Rafiq case has been mishandled from the start... racism in cricket has always been about more than one person and should not have become focused on Michael Vaughan's alleged comments from 14 years ago.” He goes on, “As Vaughan was cross-examined, it was tempting to ask what exactly cricket thought it was achieving… it was clear long before he took the stand that the question of whether he made a derogatory remark 14 years ago to four Asian players was never going to be adequately resolved.” Allegedly, this hearing has another 6 days to go. As the nub of the case is now over, it is unclear what is left to be discussed. Ho-hum, let this debacle continue.
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Post by Wicked Cricket on Mar 9, 2023 12:59:42 GMT
Michael Atherton, the winner of a smorgasbord of journalism awards since joining The Times in 2007, has joined the Yorkshire racism fray. In the newspaper this week, under the heading ‘Yorkshire racism hearing: Sadness but no resolution at end of messy saga’ followed by a sub-heading, ‘Judgments will soon be delivered in the case, but so many questions will remain after an episode in which, to great cost, a largely one-sided narrative took hold,’ he writes, “Such Kafkaesque logic has peppered this sorry tale time and again. Sadness, above all, was the lingering emotion as the hearings came to an end.” Rafiq arriving for the final day of the hearing on Tuesday (image: Mark Thomas/Alamy)Atherton has always possessed the ability of writing a well-balanced critique. He chooses his words carefully, avoids too much flowery colour, and pinpoints the nub of a story without too much previous froth. He says, “For those involved in this unbelievably distressing episode, the CDC’s decisions, expected at the end of the month or thereabouts, will not bring closure, though. Rafiq will continue to carry the scars of a bruising two years and many former employees at Yorkshire have lost their livelihoods and reputations, and will probably not work in cricket again. The mental health of some of those has been terribly affected.” Before going for the jugular, “One of England’s most significant captains, someone whom the ECB described as being “the best possible ambassador” when he retired, is being potentially brought to book for a disputed phrase uttered — or not uttered — 5,006 days ago.” Atherton then points out, “Yorkshire as a club are hollowed out. Their most recent accounts indicated that without further funding of about £3.5 million they will not be able to continue as a going concern, and their supporters are bitterly divided about the events of the past three years. In the long history of rancour that has pockmarked that great cricketing institution, nothing has matched this.” According to Jane Mulcahy KC, the counsel for the ECB, it was Vaughan’s historical tweets that were “central to this case”. One from 2009 was produced to offer support of “a general pattern of racist behaviour.” It is hard not to believe that this case comes from the pages of Orwell’s 1984. It is so irrational, so unbelievably extreme that the alleged phrase “There's too many of you lot, we need to do something about it ” has caused such a commotion and so many hundreds of legal pages, not forgetting the amount of money it has cost Vaughan and the UK taxpayer, when it primarily comes down to interpretation of an alleged hearsay. Atherton continues, “Stoner (Vaughan’s counsel) accused the ECB of being “biased” against its former captain; of conducting a “wholly inadequate” investigation, which was an “affront to fairness” and that far from the investigation being impartial, it was a “prosecution from the outset”. He points out the judgements of those accused “will be on the balance of probabilities, and therefore always open to dispute. “Instead a more complex phenomenon has been the focus of my scrutiny: how institutional brittleness, incompetence, fearfulness and a combination of slick PR, clever lawyers, grandstanding politicians and the viciousness of social media — if you don’t recognise the problem, you are a part of it — has led to a largely one-sided narrative taking hold, to great cost.” Vaughan’s final submission to the hearing was 81 pages long (image: Tom Bowles)Then Atherton soberly remarks, “The Yorkshire dressing room has been described, essentially, as discriminatory over a long period. This is the contention of Rafiq, taken up in the media, in particular, by George Dobell, of The Cricketer magazine, and, eventually, by Lord Patel. After years of failing to make the most of the diverse talent within their boundaries, Yorkshire were a sitting duck for this kind of story…”. We now await the verdict of this ECB show trial some time later this month.
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Post by Wicked Cricket on Mar 10, 2023 15:26:16 GMT
It is fun and interesting following former Sussex luminaries and this time it is the turn of Mark Robinson. Someone supporters criticised heavily when he coached the Club and appeared to be losing his midas touch. Today, we desperately miss him. Typical! Anyway, The Cricketer Magazine has published an interview with Robbo on its website, but there is one slight problem. You need to pay for the honour. In fact, the princely sum of 30p. I have asked the publication how its "pay as you read" experiment is going, for each month the number of such articles seem to increase. Unfortunately, they remain stumm about it. So who knows? www.thecricketer.com/Topics/premium/mark_robinson_warwickshire_learned_relegation_close_shave_more_resilience.html
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Post by Wicked Cricket on Mar 31, 2023 9:46:10 GMT
Former England Captain Michael Vaughan sees ECB racism charges against him DISMISSED __________________________________________________________________________
Finally, a day for common sense and reason. Delighted for Vaughan. He has been to Hell and back these last few years. No-one deserves this more than him. In a statement on his Instagram page, he writes, "At times, this process has brought me to the brink of falling out of love with cricket. I won't address here the toll that it has taken on me and my family, but I have no doubt that it has also been incredibly stressful for all of the others involved." Meanwhile, the woke BBC who stood Vaughan down from the Ashes coverage in Australia, plus put pressure on him to leave his own BBC radio show with Phil Tufnell, refuses to apologise. A spokesperson stated, "It wouldn't be appropriate for Vaughan to have a role in our Ashes team or wider coverage of the sport at the moment." Pathetic! As for the ECB, they have egg all over their face. What an embarrassment and humiliation for the Board. www.dailymail.co.uk/sport/cricket/article-11923845/Former-England-captain-Michael-Vaughan-sees-ECB-racism-charges-against-dismissed.html
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Post by therealab1 on Mar 31, 2023 14:16:03 GMT
I've mixed feelings on this one. I'm not sure how a hearing like this was necessary. A lot of it was Rafiq's word against theirs therefore all should have cleared as it cannot be proven.
I'm interested in this word 'Woke' as it is now commonly used as an insult so I googled it's meaning.
aware of and actively attentive to important societal facts and issues
I'm not sure that's a bad trait to have.
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Post by Wicked Cricket on Mar 31, 2023 14:28:32 GMT
thereallab1, I agree the meaning of Woke: "aware of and actively attentive to important societal facts and issues" looks fine on paper, but in actual practice, this has become distorted, twisted and perverted to the extreme. Please read the below for examples. Now Michael Vaughan has been acquitted, what’s happening to the other players and staff accused of racism by Azeem Rafiq and others? You can follow today’s verdicts on various media websites. Here is the Daily Telegraph:- www.telegraph.co.uk/cricket/2023/03/31/michael-vaughan-racism-verdict-latest-yorkshire-azeem-rafiq/Seven players have not been so fortunate including Matthew Hoggard, Tim Bresnan and Richard Pyrah, who were found guilty of racist language, primarily the word Pak*; while Andrew Gale has been found guilty of using the phrase “Rafa the Kaffir”; and where the extremism of the verdicts is shown by the Tim Bresnan case where he has been found guilty, yes guilty, of referring to a group of Asian players as “You lot” including the question, “Why do you lot pray before you bowl?” This is insane. Tim Bresnan Found Racially Guilty of Using the Two Words "You Lot" to Describe a Group of Asian PlayersEven more extraordinary is that the word Pak* or other phrases deemed racist, were uttered, in some cases, over 18 years ago! Hoggard, for example, used the phrase “TBM” and/or “token black man” towards Ismail Dawood in 2004 within the Headingley ground. He has been found guilty of this. Yes guilty! Of the seven, it is likely that a majority will appeal against their verdict. For example, John Blain, the Scottish cricketer has immediately appealed. He told Telegraph Sport, ”I'll continue to fight this by whatever means are available. I guess there will be an appeals process and a subsequent process after that will have to be also considered. I've always said that I wouldn't rule out having to go to the High Court to contest this because it's a huge miscarriage of justice. It's unfair and very difficult to digest when I've done nothing. I've done absolutely nothing wrong and that's the hardest thing." Given the nature of the accusations, the appeal judgement may well go in favour of the players, as there is not sufficient evidence for them to stick. To save face the Cricket Discipline Committee (CDC) had to find the seven other players guilty of something, even though the vast majority of evidence is based on hearsay, otherwise, this entire tragic case would have been a farce, and why the later appeal court ruling may achieve this, anyway. Meanwhile, I am delighted for Michael Vaughan. The BBC's initial response has been appalling, but reason and apology are not looked kindly upon by woke organisations.
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Post by Wicked Cricket on Apr 4, 2023 12:13:46 GMT
Predictable Fallout from CDC Racist Verdicts ________________________________________________
Now the dust is settling over the Cricket Discipline Committee (CDC) verdicts from last Friday, the media response has been predictable, once more reflected by each newspaper's political stance. If a left-wing bias, then you’re supportive of the ECB. If not, you’re critical of the outcome. Therefore, it is of no surprise that Michael Vaughan is shown sympathy by the Daily Telegraph with a heart-wrenching interview from the former England Captain. The headline “I want people to realise what it’s like to be cancelled”, typifies the fascist approach by the extremes of the Woke movement. The interview behind the Telegraph paywall (thanks to tiptoes we have access to it) shows a man and his family, especially his wife and parents, who have been through hell and back, based on a hearsay comment that even if were true, a guilty verdict would have been so extreme, a chilling future beckons the West, if this mindset takes hold. The interview is well worth a read. archive.is/lgrdIAnother article from the Telegraph, written by Simon Heffer, has the headline “BBC treated Michael Vaughan like a guilty man – yet spared Gary Lineker in the spirit of woke”. As is becoming blatantly obvious, especially in America, are the two tiers of justice. One for those who support the Woke Regime and another for those against it. This strongly critical and important feature from Heffer is a must read. archive.is/rMV7OWhat has also become obvious is the CDC approach to its verdicts on Friday. Unlike Vaughan, the 7 other defendants did not bother to pay for legal counsel, believing this would be a waste of money and time given the nature of the show trial. It is quite possible that if each had taken on counsel, all seven would have been acquitted. This lack of legal support allowed the Committee to create a form of draw, where Azeem Rafiq and his media supporters like George Dobell, could come away without egg on their face after Vaughan was found not guilty. The left-wing ESPNCricinfo has the headline “Why the ECB case against Michael Vaughan failed” mooting that Vaughan should have been found guilty, but the CDC had failed to achieve this. www.espncricinfo.com/story/ecb-yorkshire-racism-hearings-case-against-michael-vaughan-failed-1366641The absurdity of Rafiq’s charge is portrayed when Cricinfo writes, ”…that while the beginning of the alleged comment Vaughan made to Rafiq and three other Asian players (Adil Rashid, Ajmal Shahzad and Rana Naved-ul-Hasan) had been consistent in Rafiq's accounts leading up to the disciplinary hearing - "There's too many of you lot" - the end varied from either "we need to have a word about that" or "we need to do something about it”. It was noted the final ECB charge went with "we need to have a word about that", whereas a letter sent to Vaughan in February 2022 notifying him of the investigations went with "we need to do something about it". During cross-examination, Rashid, a key witness, ended up using both versions which, in the eyes of the panel, made his testimony obsolete.” How can someone’s life and family be put through Hell allegedly due to a common phrase “There’s too many of you lot”. Will this phrase now be cancelled and taken out of the English language in case someone else is offended by it? Where the phrase “You lot” is viewed as “non-inclusive”? Where anyone who dares to mutter it will be found guilty and either fined or thrown into jail? Meanwhile, a relieved George Dobell managed to avoid his own personal egg on the face, given it was he who encouraged and supported Rafiq to come forward with his hearsay allegations in the first place. www.thecricketer.com/Topics/opinion/cdc_verdicts_give_cricket_community_opportunity_move_forward_together_george_dobell.htmlDobell, yet again, heroically praises Rafiq to the hilt. In The Cricketer Magazine, he writes, “Azeem has endured many attempts to sideline and silence him. He had to go outside the system - away from his club, his union or his governing body - to gain justice. And he has, through threats and intimidation towards him and his family, been obliged to leave the country as he attempted to find it. He's suffered a great deal.” So what about Vaughan and his family; the 7 other former Yorkshire cricketers and their families; the many staff and their families; the club and its financial ruin; the tens of thousands of supporters and their upset; English cricket's humiliation; and all the other general destruction the hearsay allegations caused. Have these people not suffered too? Has English cricket not been dragged through an insane and destructive period of its history and for what? Yet, because Rafiq resides on a woke throne and is idolised by the far-left, does he gain all the sympathy and everyone else none? Yet, a twist may still arrive. If the guilty cricketers do decide to appeal their verdicts, it is likely the appeals court will overturn the CDC’s contrived conclusions.
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Post by Wicked Cricket on Apr 15, 2023 14:27:04 GMT
I am heartened. While placing a couple of Grand National bets, I checked out the odds being offered for winning the County Championship Division 2 this season and to my surprise, Sussex are second favourites. Perhaps, it is down to having a new coach like Paul Farbrace.
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Post by therealab1 on Apr 16, 2023 10:26:27 GMT
I am heartened. While placing a couple of Grand National bets, I checked out the odds being offered for winning the County Championship Division 2 this season and to my surprise, Sussex are second favourites. Perhaps, it is down to having a new coach like Paul Farbrace. It's a combination of having an excellent First Team Coach and a squad that is now ready to compete. It's taken a couple of years to get there but that was always going to happen. Off the field we are in a very strong financial position and there's a feel good factor all around the County
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Post by tiptoes on Apr 16, 2023 18:53:12 GMT
Despite foul weather on Friday meaning a full days play was lost in virtually all 8 County Championship matches that didn't stop positive results in 5 of them. Crying shame there was so much rain in Leicester which curbed the amount of play and in Brizzle where there wasn't a damned ball bowled in the entire match between Gloucestershire and Yorkshire.
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Post by tiptoes on Apr 20, 2023 17:41:17 GMT
Must be fun being an active follower of Gloucestershire CCC with so many days of cricket to watch.
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Post by Wicked Cricket on Apr 28, 2023 10:56:40 GMT
A fascinating survey is released this week showing just how NON-racist the UK is compared to the rest of the world. Any common sense, rational person must surely know by now that racism is being used as a propaganda weapon by the far left political parties, where exaggeration is expected. This was blatantly shown during the Azeem Rafiq case. Racism can be found throughout life whether in the workplace or sport, but these are small UK pockets suggests the survey. England lies 22nd (5%) out of 25 countries in the poll of "countries that showed prejudice towards immigrants and foreign workers". Only Sweden, Germany and Brazil are below us. In another poll "How many nationals said they would not want to live next door to people of a different race?" The UK comes 22nd (2%) out of 24 countries. Please Read Below: The Survey is fascinating. www.standard.co.uk/news/world/most-racist-countries-survey-study-discrimination-uk-b1077399.htmlCritics might argue the Policy Institute of King’s College who carried this out is right-leaning including its publisher The Evening Standard. They might be right. For the public are caught up in a 24/7 media propaganda war, so therefore, who is correct, what is the truth? Perhaps, common sense and rationale are the tools to use to make your own personal decision?
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Post by Wicked Cricket on May 3, 2023 11:39:50 GMT
The New Sussex Cricketer Pub Close to Completion
_____________________________________________________________ I passed the ground yesterday and called in to see how the new Apartment Block is progressing. I spoke to a foreman who explained some residents have already moved in with a final completion date hoped for around mid-June or another six weeks of work. One area that requires a further month’s construction is the new Sussex Cricketer Pub located on the ground floor level of the building that overlooks Eaton Road. I was allowed in for a sneak preview and it all looks rather promising. Photos are below. It is twice the size of the previous Cricketer. The pub will offer good quality food, but there is no actual restaurant which is a pity, given the Spen Cama Pavilion outlet is shut. The pub is already advertising for bar and kitchen staff. There is an area for eating food with tables and seats being built on the right side of the outlet (looking from north to south). The central bar is of a generous size, although the entrance is a little bland with just a basic glass door entrance. There will also be a small outdoor seating area for drinkers overlooking Eaton Road. I am impressed. Let us hope Harvey’s remains at the top of the new pub’s beer list. Large Central BarRight Side Area (Looking down from North to South) Where the Main Eating Takes Place Left Side Area (Looking from North to South)
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Post by Wicked Cricket on May 10, 2023 13:35:32 GMT
Life is a series of crossroads, philosophers suggest. Each time you come to one, you must decide which path to take. Sometimes the decision is highly successful, other times it is not. Take Imran Khan for example. He could have had a wonderful career as a top cricket pundit, writer, perhaps, even becoming the best ever Pakistan Coach. But no, politics was for him. The next wrong decision was then to become "a man of the people - a populist." Now look what has happened. Becoming an influential populist is an absolute no-no in the eyes of the establishment and global elites. Far too dangerous as you become their enemy No.1. No-one do the elites fear more than a populist. Look around the world and see what other populist leaders are facing. All out attack. Ho-hum, at least we have the memories of Imran playing at Hove over an 11 year period (1977- 1988). www.indiatoday.in/world/video/watch-how-ex-pakistan-pm-imran-khan-was-arrested-taken-away-in-a-van-2376859-2023-05-09
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