Matthew Hoggard criticises Yorkshire racism hearings: "The process has failed everybody"

Hoggard and Bresnan this week withdrew from the CDC hearings into events at Headingley, along with former Scotland fast bowler John Blain, on the basis that they did not feel they would be treated fairly

Matthew Hoggard and Tim Bresnan have criticised the ECB and Cricket Discipline Commission's process in investigating allegations of racist behaviour at Yorkshire.

Hoggard and Bresnan this week withdrew from the CDC hearings into events at Headingley, along with former Scotland fast bowler John Blain, on the basis that they did not feel they would be treated fairly.

Their participation at the hearings, which are scheduled for early March, was only ever voluntary. Hoggard insisted in an interview with the BBC that his decision to not take part "is not an admission of guilt".

"The process has failed everybody,” he said. "Every party involved has a problem with the way this process has been dealt with.

"Azeem [Rafiq] has a problem with it, all the respondents have, [former Yorkshire chairman] Lord Patel has, Yorkshire have. There has got to be a better way.

^{Matthew Hoggard has pulled out of the Cricket Discipline Commission hearings [Getty Images]}

"I'm pulling out because I don't think it's a fair process. There are no winners in this. It is not an admission of guilt. The people who know the truth, know the truth. That is all that matters to me."

Bresnan, the former England allrounder, said that he felt as though he had been "charged and tried without even being arrested". Both Bresnan and Hoggard were charged by the ECB with bringing the game into disrepute in June, following the governing body's investigation into claims of racism dating back more than a decade at Yorkshire - an inquiry sparked by Azeem Rafiq's testimony. 

Five other men were also charged: Gary Ballance, Michael Vaughan, Blain, Richard Pyrah and Andrew Gale.

Ballance has admitted to five charges and will not take part in the hearings. He has since returned to Zimbabwe, and is set for his Test debut for the country in the upcoming series against West Indies.

Gale said in June that he would not participate in what he viewed as a "tainted process". 

Vaughan and Pyrah are the only two remaining individuals currently expected to give evidence to the CDC panel. The hearings are due to take place in public, following a request by Rafiq, in an unusual move by the CDC. 

^{Hoggard was one of seven individuals charged by the ECB with bringing the game into disrepute [Getty Images]}

"I am willing to release everything [about the allegations] because I'm out of the process," Bresnan told The Times. "But they [the ECB] just charged me. How is that possible without even speaking to me? It's like being charged and tried without even being arrested. That's how it feels.

"He [Rafiq] is saying I did use that language [the P-word], along with others, but gave no example. There are no witnesses. I vehemently deny that. I grew up in a place where that's not right."

Hoggard, who previously submitted a statement to the CDC panel, which has been seen by The Cricketer, said that the ECB - which has always maintained it operates at "arm's length" from its disciplinary arm - had not sent an investigator to interview him in the months since he gave his initial account.

"At the moment, whatever Raffa wants Raffa is getting," he told the BBC. "It is getting weighted towards one side. I, as a respondent, have not been spoken to by the ECB once.

"How can we defend ourselves? How can anyone have a fair trial? The ECB have got evidence – whether it helps or hinders us – that they will not let us see. Why is this?

"This process has been flawed from the start, from both aspects. I feel sorry for Azeem if he doesn't feel like his voice is heard. It's not fair on anyone in this process. How come it has taken so long for it get here?

"When the allegations first came out, I didn't want to leave the house. I've been cancelled, people saying they can't afford to be seen with me. I've lost so much work.

^{Tim Bresnan has also withdrawn from the process [Getty Images]}

"My family have taken a battering, especially my wife. I'm done. The people that know me, what I'm about, they know. That is good enough for me.

"I'm not taking part in a process that I feel isn't being conducted in a fair manner."

An ECB statement on Friday said: "Individuals are entitled to choose not to participate in the hearings if they wish, but the cases will still be heard in their absence and we are satisfied that the disciplinary process in this matter has been both rigorous and fair.

"As with any case before the Cricket Discipline Commission, defendants are entitled to a fair hearing by an independent and experienced CDC Panel where they can call witnesses, and they can also challenge the evidence in support of the charge, including through cross-examination of the ECB's witnesses. It is entirely the decision of defendants if they choose not to take advantage of this opportunity.

"At the end of the hearing it is for the independent CDC Panel, not the ECB, to determine guilt or otherwise and any sanction."