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          ECB lays out case against Yorkshire defendants as CDC hearing begins

          Azeem Rafiq (centre) arrives for the CDC Panel Hearing at the International Arbitration Centre, London PA Photos/Getty Images
          • Osman Samiuddin, Senior editor, ESPNcricinfoMar 1, 2023, 04:19 PM
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              Osman spent the first half of his life pretending he discovered reverse swing with a tennis ball half-covered with electrical tape. The second half of his life was spent trying, and failing, to find spiritual fulfillment in the world of Pakistani advertising and marketing. The third half of his life will be devoted to convincing people that he did discover reverse swing. And occasionally writing about cricket. And learning mathematics.

          The ECB opened the long-awaited, much-delayed Cricket Discipline Commission's racism hearings by laying out its case against, among others, former fast bowlers Matthew Hoggard and Tim Bresnan.

          On the opening day of hearings at the International Arbitration Centre in London, the ECB accused Hoggard, Bresnan and John Blain of repeatedly making racist remarks while at Yorkshire. The trio were accused of directing words and phrases such as p**, "you lot", "Rafa the K*" and "Fit p**" at players including Azeem Rafiqand Adil Rashid, as well as Azeem's sister Amna, on a number of occasions over the course of a decade from 2008.

          All three strongly deny the charges.

          In all, the ECB has charged six players, including Michael Vaughan, Richard Pyrah and Andrew Gale, as well as Yorkshire. Five of those charged have refused to attend the hearings. That added a procedural but surreal feel to matters on the opening day, where Azeem appeared three times on the witness stand for the ECB only to not face any questioning either from the ECB or the three-person CDC panel.

          More to follow...