Cricket Scotland Faces Renewed Scrutiny Over Racism Report Handling

Islamabad: Cricket Scotland is once again under scrutiny as fresh allegations emerge over its handling of racism investigations.

The board has been accused of selectively presenting findings while withholding critical details from key stakeholders, reigniting concerns about its commitment to tackling racism.

Former cricketer Majid Haq alongside his lawyer and the anti-racism advocacy group Running Out Racism, has raised concerns regarding the board’s transparency.Green Razmak Cricket Tournament concludes in North Waziristan

Their criticism follows the revelation of an internal report that allegedly confirms Haq was subjected to racial discrimination and victimised for publicly speaking out.

Cricket Scotland had previously sought to close this chapter after a 2022 report found the organisation institutionally racist.

That report, prompted by allegations from Haq and fellow former player Qasim Sheikh, led to over 50 cases being investigated by independent legal and race equality experts.

However, none resulted in sanctions, with investigators citing governance shortcomings, the historic nature of some claims, and jurisdictional limitations as key challenges.

Although Cricket Scotland committed to implementing 245 recommended reforms, recent disclosures suggest internal disagreements among investigators.

Running Out Racism claims to have received a full version of the legal reports from an anonymous source, asserting that Cricket Scotland had deliberately withheld unfavorable conclusions.

Haq criticized the board for concealing findings, asserting the report confirmed his racial discrimination and ongoing victimization, and urged full disclosure.

His lawyer, Aamer Anwar, reiterated that one of the reports provided evidence of racial bias in Haq’s 2015 World Cup exclusion, while another report seemingly contradicted this view.

Cricket Scotland, in response, maintained that the findings were opinions rather than definitive conclusions and condemned the breach of confidentiality in releasing the documents.

A spokesperson for the board dismissed claims that Cricket Scotland was failing to adopt an anti-racist stance, labelling the accusations as an attempt to push personal agendas. The organisation insisted that it had acted based on a range of legal analyses and opinions.