Hamza Tahir, a left-arm spinner aged 28 years announced his immediate retirement from international cricket, due to the significant grievances and obstacles faced by coloured players in the game. In his statement, Tahir instead claimed that he needed to perform “twice as well” to succeed in Scotland Cricket set-up which is one of the systemic problems within the organization.
This included him being excluded from Cricket Scotland’s contracted player list last March and being left out of the recent T20 World Cup squad in West Indies. He was disappointed by not having any other major international tournaments apart from that against Pakistan in the 2021 T20 World Cup where he played only once.
Scotland Cricket has Been Racist Towards the Pakistan-born
Furthermore, Tahir has also mentioned about a senior coach who used “P word” many times during a national tour last year, thereby increasing his frustration at being confined or suppressed without showcasing his talent on an international level.
“This is only a snippet of the obstacles put in place of players of colour,” Hamza said. “In major tournaments such as World Cups I’ve always felt l’ve been held back and not allowed to go and showcase to the world what I can do, and make a name for myself on the world stage.”
These comments follow two years of unrest at Cricket Scotland which was officially exposed as institutionally racist. This conclusion was because of the protests made by Majid Haq and Qasim Sheikh, which led to an independent review and the publication of “Changing the Boundaries” in July 2022. It was found that there had been four hundred and forty-eight cases where Cricket Scotland had practiced racism or discrimination while only five have proceeded for disciplinary action.
Cricket Scotland has also been involved in a controversy with its former player John Blain who claims that his accusation of being a racist has been cleared by one of their previous interim CEO. Accusations have been made against Cricket Scotland for wanting to ‘rewrite history’ about Blain’s position.
Trudy Lindblade, the Chief Executive Officer (CEO), once again expressed sympathy on behalf of Cricket Scotland towards victims of discrimination as well as emphasizing why reconciliation between both parties should be promoted through independent mediation because it is an inclusive sport.
“I sympathise with those who harbour a feeling of injustice, and we will continue to engage respectfully throughout the mediation process.
“The only viable route to common ground is through independent mediation in order to achieve reconciliation. Only then can we speak openly and work together to provide an inclusive sport that we can all be proud of.
“Ongoing instability and recrimination, played out in front of the media, will only cause further damage to relationships and reputations, and deepen the wounds that need to heal.”
Source: ESPN
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