Gary Ballance accepts CDC charges, will not appear at Yorkshire hearings

EXCLUSIVE - GEORGE DOBELL: Ballance has admitted his guilt to five charges. As the CDC does not have jurisdiction beyond English cricket, no sanction that is applied in his absence will derail his new career with Zimbabwe

Gary Ballance has accepted the Cricket Discipline Commission charges against him in relation to claims of racist behaviour at Yorkshire.

Ballance has admitted his guilt to five charges, including the use of racist language.

As a result, he will not be required to appear at the hearings into the allegations. And, as the CDC does not have jurisdiction beyond English cricket, no sanction that is applied in his absence will derail his new career with Zimbabwe.

Ballance has previously issued a public apology for his behaviour and also apologised in person to Azeem Rafiq. He also withdrew any counter allegations against Azeem.

"I apologise unreservedly to Azeem for the words I used when we played together," Ballance said at the time. "I did use unacceptable - at times, racist - language. If I had realised how much this hurt Azeem, I would have stopped immediately.

^{Gary Ballance has accepted five CDC charges [Getty Images]}

"I have accepted, from the outset, the words I used were wrong and I hope this statement brings Azeem some comfort. There is no place in our sport for this behaviour and I am determined to play my part in ridding the game from racism and make it more inclusive. To do this we all need to be honest and learn from our past mistakes."

Azeem accepted the apology, saying at the time: "Gary must be applauded for his honesty and unreserved apology and must now be allowed to get on with his life."

Ballance's contrition - and Azeem's willingness to accept it - is likely to be reflected in the sanctions handed out by the CDC. Still, there may well be further questions about the value of the disciplinary body if players can avoid any punishment. Especially in an age where players can consider a freelance future in the various franchise leagues.

The Cricketer understands that Yorkshire, who are also facing various charges relating to the same episode, have been involved in a plea bargain with the CDC for several weeks.

Yorkshire could face a considerable points penalty [Getty Images]

As things stand, however, the sides have been unable to reach agreement. Yorkshire have accepted the majority of the charges and were hoping to agree their punishment - almost certainly a series of significant points deductions which would render any hope of silverware in 2023 unlikely - without the need for a hearing.

Meanwhile, the ECB have confirmed that the hearings will be public. As things stand, however, that does not mean the feed will be available to the general public. Instead, it is likely to mean a small group of journalists will be invited to watch the feed remotely and report upon it. Several defendants had appealed against the original decision for a public hearing.

The CDC does not have the authority to suspend a club from hosting major matches. While the ECB board could, in theory, intervene to impose such a sanction, there is no indication that such a scenario is likely.

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