The Ashes 2023: England Cricket report exposes elitism, sexism and racism

Ahead of the second Ashes Test, England Cricket has been exposed in a damning report which details shocking evidence of bigotry and racial abuse.

Cricket in England and Wales is riven with elitism, sexism and racism, a new report has found.

The ECB, which commissioned the report in November 2021 after allegations of racism at Yorkshire, last night (Monday) responded to its findings by issuing an"unreserved apology” to those who have faced discrimination in cricket.

The report’s authors said they were shocked by the evidence submitted to them by more than 4,000 people, saying that the “stark reality is that cricket is not for everyone”.

The report, titled Holding up a Mirror to Cricket concluded that:

– Ethnic minority cricketers have regularly experienced discrimination within the game, with 87 per cent of Pakistani and Bangladeshi respondents, 82 per cent of Indian respondents and 75 per cent of black respondents saying they had encountered discrimination at all levels of the sport. However, most said they had not reported racist incidents because they did not believe that they would be investigated properly.

– Working-class people, especially in inner cities, are often denied access to cricket, and independent schools have a huge hold over it, providing more than half the present England team.

– There is a prevalent culture of sexism in cricket, with women hugely under-represented in positions of power. Many women reported “unwanted and uninvited advances” from men and that the “drinking culture within cricket leaves women exposed to predatory behaviour”.

Joe Root of England celebrates at Edgbaston

Among the 44 recommendations that the report urges the ECB to adopt is that players from the England women’s team should be paid as much as the men by 2030.

The report identifies that the average salary for the women is 20.6 per cent of that paid to the men for playing white-ball cricket and that the match fees women receive are worth only 25 per cent of those paid to England’s men for white-ball matches and 15 per cent for Test matches. The ECB has acknowledged this gender pay disparity and has promised to review the affordability of increasing women’s pay.

TELEGRAPH SPORT: ‘Racist, sexist and elitist’ English cricket in the dock #TomorrowsPapersTodaypic.twitter.com/HoYLp6RRQx

— Neil Henderson (@hendopolis) June 26, 2023

Cindy Butts, who led the report, said that there is a “drinking culture” in cricket that has led to discriminatory behaviour against female and Muslim players who do not drink and that those who do not drink can be excluded from progressing in the game.

Class discrimination features heavily in the findings of the report, which asserts there are significant structural barriers for those not educated in independent schools.

“Our evidence points to the prevalence of elitism and class-based discrimination in cricket,” it said, adding: “Private school and ‘old boys’ networks’ and cliques permeate the game to the exclusion of many.”

The report also criticises the governing body and recommends that an independent regulatory body should be established urgently to separate out the functions of the ECB, which is both the promoter and regulator of the game.

“Our findings are unequivocal,” Butts said. “Racism, class-based discrimination, elitism and sexism are widespread and deep rooted. The game must face up to the fact that it’s not banter or just a few bad apples. Discrimination is both overt and baked into the structures and processes within cricket.”

The ECB has committed to producing an action plan within the next three months. Richard Gould, its chief executive, said: “We’ve got a job to do.”

Dame Caroline Dinenage MP, who chairs the culture, media and sport committee, said the evidence of racial discrimination, sexism and elitism in the report “is unacceptable in a sport that should be for everyone and must now be a catalyst for change”.

She added: “That sexism and misogyny is routine in our national summer game, with women treated as second-class citizens, shows just how much more needs to be done.”