Vaughan blacklisted from UK's Ashes coverage

2 years ago 350

Broadcaster BT Sport says it won't usage erstwhile England cricket skipper Michael Vaughan successful its sum for the upcoming Ashes series.

Vaughan has travel nether occurrence successful caller months owed to his alleged engagement successful the racism saga impacting erstwhile Yorkshire teammate and cricketer Azeem Rafiq.

Vaughan has denied ever making immoderate racist comments during his clip astatine Yorkshire, but the erstwhile England prima of 82 Test matches, connected the play did apologise "for the hurt" Rafiq endured.

After the 47-year-old was dropped by the BBC for its Ashes sum recently, BT Sport is acceptable to instrumentality a akin approach.

It's expected Vaughan volition beryllium portion of Australian rights-holder Fox Sports' sum of the Ashes bid - and Fox Sports volition supply audio for BT Sport's coverage.

But successful a statement, BT Sport said it would "not beryllium editorially appropriate" to see Vaughan and confirmed they're looking into ways, including a "hybrid approach", allowing them to chopped distant erstwhile Vaughan is calling and insert commentary from an alternate source.

"The caller study presented to the UK parliament uncovering organization racism wrong cricket and specifically Yorkshire region cricket nine is highly disappointing and a interest for all," BT Sport said successful a statement.

Green disappointed successful Perth's Ashes stance

"Given these caller events and the contention with the situation, we person taken the determination that including Michael Vaughan wrong our Ashes sum would not beryllium editorially due oregon acceptable with BT Sport's values.

"We are inactive finalising plans but we are assessing the enactment of taking a hybrid approach, utilizing Fox commentary wherever imaginable with the purpose of putting our ain commentary squad successful spot if necessary."

Rafiq, the whistleblower whose revelations astir the racism and bullying helium suffered astatine Yorkshire has sparked a situation successful the English game, was the archetypal to marque the allegation that Vaughan said successful 2009 of the 4 players of Asian heritage: "There are excessively galore of you lot; we request to bash thing astir it."

Rafiq was 1 of the 4 players successful question. Two much — Adil Rashid and Pakistan planetary Rana Naved-ul-Hasan — person besides said they overheard Vaughan's alleged remarks.

- with AP

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