![two black gay men two black gay men](https://images.pexels.com/photos/4827482/pexels-photo-4827482.jpeg)
The ex-Yorkshire cricketer Rafiq, who was born in Karachi, moved to England when he was ten and led England in the under-19 World Cup of 2010, bravely spoke about how racist abuse – called “banter” in manly dressing rooms – had wrecked his career and driven him to consider suicide.
#TWO BLACK GAY MEN PROFESSIONAL#
Last year, in Hopps’ words, professional cricket’s deep-rooted racism “began to flood into the nation’s consciousness”. There, the former Guardian cricket writer David Hopps reports that players of Asian heritage account for 35 per cent of recreational cricketers in England, 20 per cent of players recruited to county academies and just 6 per cent of established professional cricketers. And if you want to understand why what became known as “cricket’s racism scandal” or “the Azeem Rafiq affair” led to hearings before a committee of MPs, turn to page 34. Since 7.3 per cent of the county’s population – and more than 40 per cent of the pupils in Bradford schools – are of Asian ethnicity, that page tells you all you need to know about the calamity that struck Yorkshire cricket last year, leading to the resignations or sackings of the chairman, chief executive, director of cricket, coach and 15 other staff.
![two black gay men two black gay men](https://static.onecms.io/wp-content/uploads/sites/20/2020/11/04/jones-torres-1a.jpg)
In that list, you will find not a single Asian name.
![two black gay men two black gay men](https://healthland.time.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/4/2012/07/6065-001340.jpg)
Turn to page 683 of this year’s Wisden and you will see a list of the men who played for Yorkshire in the 2021 County Championship with their batting and bowling averages.