(Suresh Menon is a senior sports journalist. The column first appeared in The Hindu on November 24, 2021)
- Quite the most amusing aspect of the reaction in England to Azeem Rafiq’s calling out racism in English cricket, and the larger society, has been the surprise of those who must have known all along. That it has taken tears on television by a gifted player (who is still only 30) to activate a response is testimony both to its pervasive nature and its casual acceptance both by perpetrators and in many cases the victims too. Rafiq spoke with a lucidity and controlled passion that lent extra weight to his words. The England and Wales Cricket Board apologized, while the Yorkshire whistleblowing hotline had 36 calls in its first week. The problem may be too deeply entrenched in society to keep sport insulated even as administrators try to make amends — if not for honourable reasons, then at least to keep their sponsors from leaving. When one of the MPs on the committee asked Rafiq if he would consider helping Yorkshire attract new sponsors or bring back the ones who had pulled out, he made it clear he was not about to sell out for a few pennies. The question was as much a part of the old thinking as the answer was dignified…
