Azeem Rafiq fears he could have turn out to be “unemployable” within cricket after speaking out about the racism he suffered during his two spells at Yorkshire.
Former off-spinner Rafiq, 31 accused Yorkshire of failing to deal adequately with the abuse he suffered at the northern county, saying he had been driven to thoughts of suicide.
The Pakistan-born Rafiq’s revelations eventually led to turmoil at Yorkshire, with sponsors making a mass exodus and the club suspended from hosting lucrative international matches — a right that has only recently been conditionally restored.
Rafiq’s allegations, restated in harrowing testimony he gave to a committee of lawmakers last month, also led to a wholesale clear-out of Yorkshire’s senior management and coaching staff.
They also prompted the England and Wales Cricket Board (ECB) to announce a new initiative to tackle racism within the game.
Rafiq, however, said Tuesday he was worried his candour had come at a price.
“I feel like people are scared to be connected to me, because I will continue to fight for the truth,” he instructed the PA information company on the Include Summit in Birmingham.
“I sit right here as a 31-year-old, probably unemployable, probably (with out) any hope of being across the sport sooner or later, a sport that I’ve beloved for almost all of my life.
“Something that I believed, after letting off the burden that I’ve been carrying for a very long time, that I’d be capable to love once more and begin going again in direction of and comply with my ardour inside it.”
Rafiq added: “My passion away from playing is coaching…So that was one thing that I always wanted to do and the other thing was within a media, broadcasting.
“I just don’t know how I can come back when the game is still not accepting the reality. Of course I’d love to (come back).”
But Rafiq, who has mentioned he and his household have obtained threats to their bodily security, mentioned cricket was nonetheless not treating the difficulty or racism significantly.
“It needs to place this throughout as Azeem Rafiq’s expertise,” he said. “It’s not, it’s the experience of thousands of others.”
Rafiq was additionally unconvinced by the ECB’s newest scheme to fight racism.
“The entire motion plan is basically tough for me to have any religion in it as a result of we’ve seen it earlier than,” he said.
“From a county point of view, they don’t actually think that there is a problem, which is incredibly worrying.”
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