Former Essex bowler Jahid Ahmed to give evidence before DCMS committee

Jahid, who is believed to be the first British-born cricketer of Bangladeshi heritage to play county cricket, claims he was bullied and discriminated against at Essex because of his ethnicity and religion

Jahid Ahmed is set to provide explosive evidence to the Department for Digital, Culture, Media & Sport (DCMS) committee investigating racism in sport.

Jahid, who is believed to be the first British-born cricketer of Bangladeshi heritage to play county cricket, claims he was bullied and discriminated against at Essex because of his ethnicity and religion.

Among other things, he says he was regularly asked if he was going to "bomb" the club, was told he "stank of curry" and was forced to attend a team meeting in a pub during Ramadan. He described the club as "a white man's world where brown people were outsiders". He also claims that recent requests to hold a meeting with Essex management to discuss his concerns have not received a reply.

His allegations were subsequently corroborated by several other players of colour, including Zoheb Sharif and Maurice Chambers.

As witnesses to the DCMS committee are entitled to parliamentary privilege (which means they cannot be sued for anything they say in that forum) Jahid's testimony could have far-reaching repercussions for some well-known figures in the game. It is understood that at least one of the people he alleges bullied him continues to enjoy a playing career, while another has enjoyed a high-profile career in coaching.

^{Jahid Ahmed recounted his experiences at Essex to The Cricketer last November (Tom Shaw/Getty Images)}

Essex announced in November 2021 that they had commissioned a respected barrister to lead a review into allegations of racism at the club.

It is understood the report has run into various issues, however – not least the non-compliance of several of those accused of racism – and is yet to be completed. The club continues to express the hope it will be finished before the end of this month.

"We have tried entering into a dialogue with Essex CCC, but the club has not responded to our request," Amjad Khan, the former England cricketer who now works as a barrister and is representing Jahid Ahmad, told The Cricketer.

Essex subsequently clarified, however, that they had offered meeting dates in June but did not receive a reply. When Amjad Khan emailed back, his emails went into the club's junk folder and were not seen until The Cricketer's article was published. They state that they remain keen to engage with Jahid and that he has worked with the club as recently as September.

Lord Patel, the Yorkshire chair, and Azeem Rafiq, the former Yorkshire captain, will also appear at the session on December 13. It was Azeem's appearance before the committee towards the end of 2021 which catapulted the issue of racism in cricket to national attention.

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