Rafiq feels 'vindicated' after hearing as Vaughan reveals tears

Azeem Rafiq says helium feels "vindicated" and has "closure" aft a proceeding into his allegations of racism astatine Yorkshire delivered its verdict.

However, ex-England skipper Michael Vaughan was cleared "on the equilibrium of probabilities" of utilizing racist connection towards his erstwhile team-mate Rafiq.

Yorkshire antecedently accepted 4 amended charges portion erstwhile England batter Gary Ballance besides antecedently admitted the complaint against him.

"I consciousness vindicated," Rafiq told BBC sports exertion Dan Roan.

"Seven retired of the 8 charges person been upheld and, astir importantly, 1 of the main reasons I spoke retired was to item the wider problems crossed the crippled and the organization racism astatine YCCC.

"I deliberation that's been proven implicit and implicit again."

He added: "I've been pushed mode much than I tin grip passim the past 2 and a fractional years. It's been hard successful a batch of ways, but the proceeding was closure for me."

Former Yorkshire bowler Rafiq archetypal made claims of humanities racism astatine Headingley successful August 2020, aboriginal calling English cricket "institutionally racist".

An autarkic probe commissioned by Yorkshire upheld 7 of Rafiq's 43 claims successful September 2021, portion an ECB (England and Wales Cricket Board) probe - which started successful October 2021 - brought charges against the club, Vaughan, Ballance, Tim Bresnan, Matthew Hoggard, Andrew Gale, Richard Pyrah and John Blain.

Rafiq accused Vaughan of saying "there's excessively galore of you lot, we request to person a connection astir that" to Rafiq and 3 different Asian players representing Yorkshire successful 2009. The 48-year-old "categorically" denied the allegation.

On Friday, the CDC sheet said the ECB's lawsuit against 2005 Ashes-winning skipper Vaughan was not proved.

Bresnan, Hoggard, Gale, Pyrah and Blain each denied the allegations against them but, dissimilar Vaughan, withdrew from the disciplinary process and were not contiguous astatine the CDC proceeding astatine the International Arbitration Centre successful London from 1-9 March.

All charges against Gale and Blain were proved, and immoderate against the remaining 3 were proved.

"For me, from time one, I've tried to marque definite this doesn't go astir individuals," said Rafiq. "I spoke astir my experiences and what I went through. I've done that openly from time 1 and it's been corroborated by players, coaches and different radical present.

"Of people I'm disappointed [about Vaughan's complaint being not proven], I don't hold with each the findings but I respect them."

He added: "It's been tough, truly tough, but it has made the crippled commencement to face the institutionalised racism that's been going for decades and decades.

"Let's not beryllium naive, we person seen a ample portion of the cricket assemblage are inactive precise hesitant to change. When you talk connected racism, it's ne'er going beryllium comfortable, it's ne'er going to beryllium a cleanable way done and it hasn't been. It's been pugnacious connected everyone."

I burst retired crying - Vaughan

Vaughan said helium was driving to cod his lad from schoolhouse erstwhile helium learned helium had been cleared.

"I conscionable burst retired crying," helium told the Telegraph. "It was conscionable the axenic alleviation erstwhile your lawyer says you're cleared.

"When your woman is having to instrumentality beta blockers for 16 months and you aftermath up successful the mediate of the nighttime and she is crying her eyes retired it is truthful hard."

He added it had been hard, too, for his children "and the children of each those involved".

"There are radical who wanted to spot the backmost of maine successful cricket," helium added.

"It was lone astir 11am contiguous erstwhile I had the vigor connected I realised however large quality it was. Then it deed me. I thought, 'Oh no, what if it had gone the different way?' I would person been done," helium told the newspaper.

The BBC pundit had posted a connection connected societal media earlier the ruling was officially released which said: "It has been some hard and upsetting to perceive astir the achy experiences which Azeem has described implicit the past 3 years.

"The result of these CDC proceedings indispensable not beryllium allowed to detract from the halfway connection that determination tin beryllium nary spot for racism successful the crippled of cricket oregon successful nine generally."

Vaughan's lawyer, Paul Lunt, told BBC Sport determination had been immoderate "difficult, challenging times and immoderate acheronian times" for his client, arsenic good arsenic "everybody involved".