Cricket Scotland Under Scrutiny After Clearing John Blain of Wrongdoing
Investigators looking into allegations of racist behavior in Scottish cricket have denied “exonerating” anyone, despite a former player’s claims that he was cleared of such accusations.
The independent review conducted in July 2022 found Cricket Scotland to be institutionally racist, leading to over 50 individual complaints of alleged racist behavior being investigated by legal firms and a race inclusion charity.
While no individuals were named, the statement comes in response to former Yorkshire and Scotland fast bowler John Blain’s earlier claim that he was “fully exonerated” of racist behavior allegations earlier this year. Blain had made public a letter from Cricket Scotland’s interim CEO informing him that the allegations against him were “unfounded.”
“Our role was not to make findings of fact, nor to pronounce guilt, nor to exonerate or pronounce as innocent any person against whom allegations had been made.”
However, the investigation team clarified that their role was not to “make findings of fact, nor to pronounce guilt, nor to exonerate or pronounce as innocent any person against whom allegations had been made.” Instead, they identified over 250 “learning lessons” across the 51 referrals, without reaching any conclusions on individual cases.
The investigators acknowledged the complexities involved in probing allegations of discrimination, citing issues such as lack of governance, historic breaches, and jurisdictional challenges. They emphasized that the absence of disciplinary action did not diminish the seriousness of the allegations but rather highlighted the difficulties in such investigations.
The team unequivocally backed the findings of the “Changing the Boundaries” report, which led to the Cricket Scotland board resigning en masse. They noted that their own investigations “echoed” the report’s findings of poor governance, lack of policies, and failure to support whistleblowers and complainants.
As the national men’s team prepares for a crucial T20 World Cup match against Australia, the resurfacing of these tensions will add further pressure on Cricket Scotland, which has also faced criticism from former players Majid Haq and Qasim Sheikh over its handling of the Blain case.
The investigators urged the game’s stakeholders to acknowledge the recommendations made in the “Changing the Boundaries” report, as well as their own learnings, to address the exclusion faced by many people in the sport who have had to endure “unacceptable behaviours” without recourse.
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