Majid Haq: Cricket Scotland's acknowledgement of racism problem a "welcome surprise"

As allegations of racism spread across the English game in 2021, Majid said he had been "treated like a criminal" during an episode in 2015 and accused Cricket Scotland of being "institutionally racist"

Majid Haq has welcomed a public admission from Cricket Scotland that the sport has "an issue with racism" as a "massive step forward".

Majid, the former Scotland off-spinner, had previously called for an investigation into alleged institutional racism in Scottish cricket. Majid, the highest wicket-taker in Scotland's history across formats, was sent home from the 2015 World Cup after tweeting: "Always tougher when you're in the minority #colur #race" during the 2015 World Cup. He was only 32 but he never played for Scotland again.

As allegations of racism spread across the English game in 2021, he said he had been "treated like a criminal" during the episode and accused Cricket Scotland (CS) of being "institutionally racist". As a result, several other players and coaches came forward to share similar experiences and CS called for an independent review run by Sport Scotland.

While that review is not scheduled to report until July, it is clear the early weeks of the investigation have brought some chastening revelations to the organisation. So while the immediate aftermath of Majid's allegations resulted in a series of somewhat defensive comments from CS, there appears to have been a significant change of attitude. 

^{Majid Haq said he was treated "like a criminal" after making an accusation of institutional racism against Cricket Scotland in 2015}

A statement released on social media in recent days accepted for the first time the organisation had "an issue with racism" and offered an apology to those who have "suffered".

"We accept there is an issue with racism in the game in Scotland and we are truly sorry that people involved have suffered racism," the statement said. "We want to listen, understand and learn how to make things better. The best way to have your voice heard is to contribute to the independent Plan4Sport review."

Majid, at least, interpreted the change of tone as positive. 

"The statement was a welcome surprise to me," he told The Cricketer. "They are just words at the moment and, ultimately, it's actions that we'll need to see. 

"But this acceptance that there is an issue and the apology that accompanies it… they represent a massive step forward." 

Sue Strachan, president of Cricket Scotland, accepted the significance of the change of tone but suggested it better represented CS's current attitude.

"We are on an uncomfortable journey of discovery," she told The Cricketer. "In the early days, the organisation probably felt a little as if it was under attack and some of our communications reflected that.

https://t.co/DIpWkEuVqM pic.twitter.com/q30buny1eJ

— Cricket Scotland (@CricketScotland) February 18, 2022

"But we've got past that. Now we are focused on listening in a humble way and we are committed to learning to be better.

"We're learning more about subtle racism. It exists in society so you would probably expect it to exist in all sports, too. 

"It's an uncomfortable phase we are in right now. It's a bumpy ride and yes, the findings in the report might be quite shocking. It's possible we will lose some of the volunteers we have relied upon.

"But the hope has to be that, at the end of this, we have a sport which welcomes volunteers and participants from more diverse areas of society. The aim is very much to build back better.

"I really would urge anyone who has had any experiences in this area to contact the review by emailing cricketreview@sportscotland.org.uk." 

CS's efforts have not been helped by the continued absence of their chief executive, Gus Mackay. He was put on gardening leave several months ago having been accused of presiding over a "bullying culture". It is unclear when, or even if, he will return.

Subscribe to The Cricketer for exclusive content every day: The inside track on everything England - including leading coverage of England in India, award-winning analysis, breaking news and interviews and the only place for in-depth county coverage all year round. Plus: An ad-free app experience at your fingertips. Subscribe to thecricketer.com today for just £1.