ECB Suspends Gary Ballance for Eight weeks and fine him Over his role

ECB wants to suspend Gary Ballance for eight weeks and fine him over his role in the racism case. Gary Ballance could be suspended for up to eight weeks and fined £8,000 if the England and Wales Cricket Board get their way.

The England and Wales Cricket Board has recommended Gary Ballance be fined £8,000 and suspended for eight weeks in the wake of the Yorkshire racism scandal. Ballance – one of six individuals connected with the club accused of using racist language in the case which stemmed from allegations made by former Yorkshire bowler Azeem Rafiq – had already admitted the charge brought against him by the ECB. Ballance’s lawyer, Craig Harris, argued the financial penalty should be reduced due to the cost of being involved in the proceedings, namely that he lost his job as a player at Yorkshire, a sponsorship contract, and was not considered for England selection.

Suspension to have little consequence given Ballance announced his retirement last month

The ECB will also recommend sanctions to be imposed on the other five: John Blain, Tim Bresnan, Andrew Gale, Matthew Hoggard and Richard Pyrah, to the independent Cricket Discipline Commission panel in central London. Blain, Bresnan, Gale, Hoggard and Pyrah had all withdrawn from the disciplinary proceedings and did not appear at a liability hearing held in early March, with the charges against them heard in their absence.

Meanwhile, Andrew Gale was one of 16 members of staff sacked in the aftermath of Rafiq’s revelations. As per the Daily Mail, Hoggard had called Rafiq to apologize for calling him ‘Rafa the Kaffir’ when the pair were team-mates a decade ago. Bresnan also apologised for bullying behaviour when his name came out last November but has denied ever being racist.

Michael Vaughan Racism Charge: As per English media reports – the following seven were charged by the ECB late on Wednesday in their investigation on Azeem Rafiq’s claims. Charges are pressed against Michael Vaughan, Matthew Hoggard, Tim Bresnan, Gary Ballance, and former head coach Andrew Gale.

In a saga that has stretched beyond two years, the high-profile group along with the club will face disciplinary hearings in autumn.