Yorkshire was stripped of its right to host lucrative international matches in the wake of its handling of allegations of racism made by former player Azeem Rafiq, but Lord Patel was brought in as chairman in November to help oversee sweeping changes.
Yorkshire can host international matches again
Yorkshire County Cricket Club members have voted overwhelmingly in favor of the structural changes demanded by the ECB which will allow international matches to be held at Headingley.
The club was stripped of its right to host international matches as punishment for handling allegations of racism made by former player Azeem Rafiq. This summer’s international matches were reinstated by the ECB in February on the condition that the changes were made before Thursday’s deadline.
“Yorkshire County Cricket Club members tonight overwhelmingly approved three special resolutions at an Extraordinary General Meeting (EGM) held in the Long Room at Headingley,” a statement read.
“The club can now continue to drive the right approach through essential governance reforms and meets the conditions set out by the England and Wales Cricket Board for the return of international and major matches on its ground.”
More than 1,100 members of the country voted in person, electronically or by proxy, with a minimum threshold of two-thirds required for the changes to be approved.
complete resolutions
Headingley is scheduled to host an England men’s test match against New Zealand on June 23 and a one-day international match against South Africa on July 24.
“We welcome the outcome of this EGM and thank members for their full and proper consideration, an open exchange of views and their votes,” said Yorkshire Chairman Lord Patel.
“This is an overwhelming vote for positive change. This support will help Yorkshire County Cricket Club to be an inclusive and welcoming place and gives us the clarity and certainty we need to continue building this great club.”
“Yorkshire have now met the ECB’s conditions for the return of international cricket and, working with them, we will be offering some great events here at Headingley this summer.
“We are looking forward to the start of the season, for all of our teams and for cricket at all levels across the county.”
Lord Patel was appointed in November to lead the implementation of large-scale changes, and has since sacked 16 county backroom staff, including former director of cricket Martyn Moxon and first-team manager Andrew Gale. .
Thursday’s EGM follows two previous efforts that were called off amid former chairman Robin Smith publicly calling Lord Patel’s new chairmanship invalid.
“We are pleased that Yorkshire members have given their overwhelming support to these reforms,” an ECB spokesman said. “This is an important step forward to bring about real change and put the club on the path to a more inclusive future.
“We welcome the progress made by Lord Patel so far, as well as his commitment to making the club one that everyone, from all backgrounds, can be proud of. With these governance reforms now passed, we are pleased that the International cricket may now be represented at Headingley this summer.
“However, there is still much work to be done in Yorkshire and it is important that the plans set out so far are met. We will continue to monitor progress closely.”
“Our regulatory investigation into the complaints filed by Azeem Rafiq, which is separate from this process, remains ongoing and will be updated in due course.”
