Former England captain Michael Vaughan has announced that he is temporarily stepping away from his commentary duties at BCC as the fallout of Azeem Rafiq’s racism allegation continues.
Vaughan is one of the chief accused in the racism storm involving the former Yorkshire spinner.
Rafiq, a player of Pakistani descent, alleges that Vaughan told him and two other players of Asian origin that there were “too many of you lot, we need to do something about it” before a match in 2009 which Vaughan has strongly denied.
As a result, the Yorkshire County Cricket Club (YCCC) and a number of individuals were charged following an investigation into the claims.
Vaughan said the main reason he stepped down was “concern for the wellbeing” of his family.
“On numerous occasions, I have put on record my views on the issues concerning YCCC. It is always regrettable when commentary on matters off the field take the focus away from what’s happening on the field,” Vaughan said on Twitter
“In view of the ongoing dialogue on the subject, I have taken the decision to step back from my work with the BBC for the time being.
“Stepping back temporarily is also in the interests of the game and I hope that it will minimize any difficulties for my work colleagues.”
Despite Michael Vaughan denying involvement in any racism means, there were calls for the former captain to be dropped from his media career.
Vaughan was dropped from the BBC’s coverage of the Ashes in Australia last year but returned to the commentary team for England’s Test series against New Zealand.
Yorkshire had been trying to slowly rebuild back its reputation since the accusations were made. They have been cleared by ECB for hosting international matches provided they meet the set criteria.
The club has also gone out and signed players from Asia including Shadab Khan and Haris Rauf from Pakistan.
