Root says Yorkshire scandal 'fractured our game & torn lives apart'

Joe Root vowed to stick by Yorkshire and become heavily involved in the crisis club’s reform as he broke his silence on the race storm that has engulfed Headingley.

Speaking from England’s pre-Ashes quarantine camp on the Gold Coast, Test captain Root condemned the revelations of racism as ‘simply intolerable’ and pledged to help his boyhood club ‘reset’ under new chair Lord Patel.

Asked if the scandal had led him to consider his future, he said: ‘It’s obviously deeply hurtful that it’s happened at a club that I’m so close to.It means so much for me to go and play for Yorkshire. In terms of my position — if you’re not at the club, how can you make any change? How can you help move things forward?’

The 30-year-old felt compelled to address the issue from Australia after arriving last weekend to discover that Lord Patel’s predecessor Roger Hutton had resigned his post.

In a statement released before he took questions on the subject, Root said the allegations by Azeem Rafiq, one of his contemporaries who captained Root, Ben Stokes and Jos Buttler at England Under-19 level, had ‘fractured our game and torn lives apart.’

Two high-profile figures close to him — ex-housemate Gary Ballance and Michael Vaughan, a one-time mentor — have been implicated by Rafiq’s claims.

However, Root insisted he was unaware of any incidents of racism during his 20 seasons as a player with Yorkshire.

‘But it is clear things have happened at the club and we have to make sure we eradicate it.We look to find ways to make sure this never happens again in the sport and beyond that as well,’ he said.

‘Whether it’s in Yorkshire, whether it’s in club cricket, out in the street or whatever, we’ve got to find a way of confronting this and stopping it and making sure absolutely we are getting rid of racism from society.’

There have been calls for Ballance to be sacked after it emerged that the report into Rafiq’s accusations of institutional racism at the club dismissed his use of the word ‘Paki’ as ‘banter’, although Root suggested such a move should be resisted.

‘I do think people deserve a second chance and if they are willing to accept that they’ve made a mistake and they want to make change, then I think that’s really important as well,’ he said.

‘We are all human beings and I think that’s something that we have to remember within this.Of course people have been deeply hurt throughout this whole thing but ultimately we have to find a way to move forward.’

Root added: ‘I want to see change and actions that will see YCCC rise teacher retirement gifts from coworkers this with a culture that harnesses a diverse environment with trust across all communities that support cricket in the county.

‘We need to educate, unify and reset.I will reach out to YCCC new chair Lord Patel to offer support however I’m able.’

Root, along with white-ball counterpart Eoin Morgan, has been at the forefront of an England team diversity drive that has seen partnerships formed with three charities with multi-cultural focuses and/or inner city emphasis over the past 12 months. 

Details are yet to be publicised as Covid restrictions have thus far limited involvement.

‘Inclusivity, diversity and anti-discrimination is something we are very passionate about improving,’ Root said.

‘We want all the fans to be able to enjoy what we do on the field and feel proud about who’s representing them.’