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In a startling revelation, the England & Wales Cricket Board (ECB) is under fire for its silence over cricket legend Ian Botham’s dismissal of last year’s damning discrimination report. The Independent Commission on Equity in Cricket, in a scathing June report, exposed “widespread and deep-rooted” issues like racism, class-based discrimination, elitism, and sexism within the sport.
Despite the ECB accepting the majority of the report’s recommendations and issuing an unreserved apology in September, Botham, now the chair of Durham, controversially labelled the report as “nonsense” and “a complete and utter waste of money.”
The failure of the cricketing body to publicly criticise Botham has drawn criticism. Cindy Butts, chair of the Independent Commission on Equity in Cricket, expressed disappointment, accusing the ECB of lacking a “moral backbone.”
“There are a number of untruths he spoke about the report but the most disappointing thing for me is that Lord Botham is the chair of a first-class county; his words carry weight and the ECB didn’t see fit to come out and say: ‘This is wrong’, Butts emphasised, speaking at a parliamentary committee meeting, as quoted by standard.co.uk
Butts pointed out that the ECB not only remained silent but resisted calls from concerned stakeholders. She urged the cricketing body to demonstrate moral leadership and speak out against discriminatory remarks.
Ian Botham’s denial of being approached for evidence by the commission was contradicted by Butts, who revealed that he had ignored their invitation to provide input.
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“I was personally disappointed, not least because he’s a sporting hero of mine. The impact Lord Botham had on me as a young working-class woman growing up in Shepherds Bush was really quite profound,” Butts added expressing her disappointment.
Richard Thompson, ECB chairman, and Richard Gould, ECB chief executive, both relatively new to their roles, have been praised for their responses to the report. Thompson acknowledged his disagreement with Botham’s views but emphasised the importance of democratic expression.
“I guess the ECB could have taken one or two views over that, my feeling was that we’re trying to reconcile, we’re trying to move forward and heal. Lord Botham is entitled to his views, I didn’t agree with them. I made it very clear to him I didn’t agree with them. But we live in a democracy and he’s allowed to say those things.
“I could see what Durham were doing as a county and we’re happy to share their EDI reports, their action plans, and it was pretty clear that Durham were doing a very good job of reaching communities, reaching all sorts of minorities that other counties weren’t reaching. So I think whatever Lord Botham said it wasn’t representative of what Durham were doing as a club,” Thompson stated.
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Despite this, the ECB’s decision to remain silent on the matter has sparked a wider debate about the cricketing body’s commitment to addressing discrimination issues within the sport, leaving many questioning the organisation’s moral stance.
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