02 March 2023 , 21:37
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Azeem Rafiq has denied blackmailing Adil Rashid to back him up in his racism allegation against Michael Vaughan.
And during his cross examination by Vaughan’s legal team he also accused the former England captain of ‘playing’ him over a meeting designed to clear the air and get the pair working together.
First Rashid and then Rafiq were questioned throughout the day in relation to the claim that Vaughan said: “There’s too many of you lot, we need to have a word about that,” in relation to four Asian players who turned out for Yorkshire in two games in 2009.
And it was in reference to a statement from Ajmal Shahzad, another of the Asian players involved, that the idea Rafiq had been leaning on Rashid emerged.
"I think Adil is being pressurised," said Shahzad in his statement. "So I think there are a lot of things that you guys [the ECB] may not be aware of that are happening, and it's quite murky.
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"I spoke to Rashid in December when I was at Yorkshire coaching and he was very uncomfortable with where this was going. He was uncomfortable with how much Rafiq knew about Adil.”
In response Rafiq said: “Ajmal accuses me of having blackmailed Adil. That is categorically untrue.”
The pair are good friends and have been business partners in a fish and chip shop venture that has now ceased, but both insist that there has been no pressure placed on Rashid.
Adil Rashid (right) celebrates a wicket in England's one-day international against Bangladesh (AP)Rashid added: “There was never any ‘blackmail’. This has never been mentioned to me before.”
During Rafiq’s evidence he spoke out about a photo taken of him and Vaughan following a meeting when they had agreed to move forward, even though he says there was a ‘non-apology’ from Vaughan.
He added: “I immediately regretted taking that photo. They said they didn’t use it publicly, but I believe it has been used privately.
“Michael headed off to Australia and his general chat around all this to discredit me was relayed back to me. It made a real dent to what my hope was. I felt like I was being played.”