Ian Botham slams cricket racism report he 'threw down on floor' after reading
Ex-England captain Ian Botham has called the ICEC's report into cricket as "nonsense" and claims he "threw it down on the floor".
Last month, the Independent Commission for Equality in Cricket (ICEC) concluded that "elitism alongside deeply rooted and widespread forms of structural and institutional racism, sexism and class-based discrimination continue to exist across the game".
The England and Wales Cricket Board (ECB) has apologised "to all those who have suffered discrimination", while Azeem Rafiq - who suffered racist abuse at Yorkshire - has told Mirror Sport "it's a time for cricket to really grasp where it's been going wrong".
But Botham has disregarded the report. The former all-rounder believes it was "a complete and utter waste of money" and claims the ICEC has "definitely got it wrong".
Botham was asked for his opinion on the report during an appearance on William Hill's Up Front with Simon Jordan. He said: "I read bits of the report and to be honest I just threw it down on the floor in the end because in my eyes, it’s a nonsense.
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"It was a complete and utter waste of money that could have been well spent on other things within the game. The report has taken at least two-and-a-half years to write, maybe more, and the point is that they are generalising and you cannot generalise.
"There will be isolated incidents and it can go both ways, it’s not just a one-way street. I don’t know where it is but I haven’t played in a dressing room like that, ever. To generalise and paint everyone with the same brush is wrong.
"I thought a lot of it was heavily loaded and when you read through it everything is anonymous, who is anonymous? Introduce me to Mr and Mrs Anonymous."
Azeem Rafiq has urged English cricket to grasp the crisis (JUSTIN TALLIS/AFP via Getty Images)What's your opinion on the matter? Let us know in the comments below!
Botham, who is one of the most popular figures in English cricket after featuring in 102 Tests for his country, is disappointed the ICEC didn't ask for his thoughts on the matter. He added: "No one’s interviewed me, no one asked me for my thoughts on it."
Botham continued: "I don’t know whether it’s just that I’m lucky or whether it’s because people know my thoughts on racism and the stances I’ve made, or the time I’ve spent with Nelson Mandela. He tapped me on the shoulder and said to me ‘you’re my hero’.
"He said, ‘When I was incarcerated we knew you’d taken a stance against South Africa and apartheid’. I spent a lot of time with him."
Botham pointed out the fact he played alongside the great West Indians Joel Garner and Viv Richards during his time at Somerset. The England hero even quit the county cricket club when Garner and Richards were released in 1986.
Botham is concerned about the impact of racism allegations. He said: "With all the stuff that’s gone on at Yorkshire, I just hope we don’t end up with someone with blood on their hands because some of those guys’ lives have almost been totally destroyed through it. They don’t know what they’re supposed to have done, and no one has interviewed them."
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