Blain, who performed 118 matches throughout codecs for Scotland, was accused by his former team-mates, Majid Haq and Qasim Sheikh, of utilizing a racist slur on a tour of Kenya in 2007, and was subsequently suspended from Cricket Scotland’s Corridor of Fame.
Blain’s case was considered one of quite a few referrals that stemmed from an unbiased evaluation in July 2022 that discovered Cricket Scotland to be institutionally racist and led to the resignation of the board. Nevertheless, following a year-long investigation – carried out collectively by two legislation corporations and Sporting Equals, the race inclusion charity – the declare has been rejected, with ESPNcricinfo understanding that the overwhelming majority of incidents cited may also don’t have any case to reply.
On January 12, the interim Cricket Scotland CEO Pete Fitzboydon wrote to Blain to substantiate that the allegations towards him had been “unfounded” and that no additional motion could be taken. On the time, Blain was requested to maintain that judgment confidential, to allow the board to speak the information to the complainers.
Now, nonetheless, after what he described as “5 months of delay and prevarication”, he has chosen to go public with a scathing critique of the method and his accusers. “To explain the best way sportscotland and Cricket Scotland initially dealt with that report as a ‘kangaroo court docket’ is an insult to marsupials all over the place,” Blain wrote in a publish on X/Twitter.
“It is apparent to me that, somewhat than publish this very clear and detailed judgement which absolutely exonerates me, Cricket Scotland is as soon as once more operating fearful of the small “anti-racist” cabal which has exerted such a malign affect over our sport,” he added. “My life has been on maintain for too lengthy and it is time that the reality is lastly advised about one of many largest sporting scandals of latest occasions.”
Addressing Majid and Qasim, whose testimony fashioned the premise of the damning 2022 report “Altering the Boundaries” that led to the fees being levelled, Blain expressed his disbelief that they’d make “such false and disgraceful accusations” after he had given each males “appreciable assist throughout their careers”.
“If he actually believed I used to be a racist, why did Majid strive so laborious to steer me to affix his membership, Clydesdale, as skilled player-coach in 2015, eight years after he claimed I would used a racist phrase, and in addition advisable me to a string of Asian gamers for one-to-one teaching,” Blain stated.
“Likewise, if Qasim actually believed I used to be a racist, why did he search me out for one-to-one teaching in 2014 to assist him regain his Scotland place – one thing I gladly did free of charge?”
“Crucially, the in-depth Scottish investigation didn’t settle for Majid’s allegation that I had used the P-word throughout a tour to Kenya in 2007,” Blain stated. “That is the very same allegation the England and Wales Cricket Board panel used to assist their discovering towards me.
“Majid’s false allegation was used as corroboration of Azeem Rafiq’s equally unfaithful allegation and was central to the ECB verdict towards me, which should now be deemed unsafe.
“What’s worse, the ECB tribunal said that as a result of I had not engaged with their flawed course of, they had been entitled to conclude that I had no reply to the allegations towards me … their reasoning was lazy and made no try to reconcile Majid’s account with the contradictory proof of 4 different witnesses.”
In response, an ECB spokesperson insisted that the CDC course of had been “in depth and thorough”, and that Blain had been given each alternative to defend himself throughout the proceedings.
“The Cricket Self-discipline Fee upheld the cost towards John Blain for utilizing racist language at Yorkshire in or round 2010 and 2011 after contemplating all of the proof earlier than it, together with Mr Blain’s defence and a variety of supporting witness statements filed by him (by means of his then authorized workforce) earlier than he withdrew from the method. He declined the chance to look earlier than the fee to defend himself in particular person.”
In a joint assertion, Aamer Anwar, Majid’s and Qasim’s solicitor, expressed the pair’s personal frustrations at Cricket Scotland’s dealing with of the problem, together with the truth that most of the complainants referenced in Fitzboydon’s letter to Blain nonetheless had not been knowledgeable of their outcomes, including that they supposed to go public with “the total info” within the coming weeks.
Blain was additional accused of continuous to “goal and label” Majid and Qasim in his newest feedback, with Anwar including that the 2 males remained “victims of racism who proceed to be abused, vilified and excluded for daring to talk out”. Nevertheless, he additionally known as for a public inquiry right into a governing physique that “has as soon as once more let down the actual victims, which embody not simply Majid and Qasim, however many different cricketers”.
“Cricket Scotland hoped this matter would merely go away, it is not going to, as they are going to see within the coming days,” the assertion continued. “The one factor we are able to all agree with, is the necessity for the info to be made public now. My purchasers have engaged in good religion in a course of that has taken too lengthy, and resulted in one more case examine for why Scottish cricket wants to just accept institutional racism and put in place pressing adjustments to cease this occurring once more. The tradition of denial stays rife and the dinosaurs are very a lot alive and nicely.”
ESPNcricinfo has approached Cricket Scotland for remark.
Andrew Miller is UK editor of ESPNcricinfo. @miller_cricket
