LONDON: English cricket was forced to confront its racist culture on Tuesday when former player Azeem Rafiq testified through tears at a parliamentary hearing but with a determination to expose the Islamophobia and bullying he suffered for more than a decade.
“Do I believe I lost my career to racism? Yes, I do,” said Rafiq, who played for Yorkshire — England’s most successful cricket club.
“I hope in five years’ time we are going to see a big change, that I did something far bigger than any runs or any wickets I got.”
Racism complaints that led to Yorkshire launching an investigation in September 2020 reached the British Parliament after the report that dismissed some abuse as “friendly banter” led to no immediate departures from the club’s hierarchy and was not publicly released.
Rafiq told legislators that Yorkshire teammates used an offensive term referencing his Pakistani heritage and that the leadership at the 33-time winners of the English county championship failed to act on the racism.
“Pretty early on, (for) me and other people from an Asian background,” Rafiq told a House of Commons select committee overseeing sport, “there were comments such as, ‘You lot sit there near the toilets,’ ‘Elephant washers.’ The word P(asterisk)(asterisk)(asterisk) was used constantly. And there just seemed to be an acceptance in the institution from the leaders and no one stamped it out.”
Asked if he thought cricket was institutionally racist in the country, Rafiq responded: “Yes, I do.”
Two former players at Essex have recently also said they were racially abused at that club, whose chairman resigned las week over the use of racist language at a board meeting four years ago.
Rafiq, a former England Under-19 captain, said he felt “isolated, humiliated at times” by his treatment at Yorkshire during two spells playing for the club from 2008 to 2018.
During testimony, Rafiq also made fresh claims of racial discrimination against former England internationals Matthew Hoggard, Tim Bresnan, Alex Hales and Gary Ballance who are accused of using the offensive abbreviation of Pakistani toward him.
“For any part I played in contributing to Azeem Rafiq’s experience of feeling bullied at Yorkshire, I apologize unreservedly,” Bresnan said.
Rafiq said Ballance’s use of “Kevin” as a blanket derogatory term for all people of color was “an open secret in the England dressing room” and Hales called his dog Kevin because it was black.
“It’s disgusting how much of a joke it was,” Rafiq said.
As a graduate of the Yorkshire academy, Rafiq recalled Hoggard told Asian players “you lot sit over there” and referred to them as “elephant washers.”
Rafiq has also said former England captain Michael Vaughan said “there’s too many of you lot” at a 2009 game for Yorkshire. Vaughan denies saying it.
Yorkshire said last month that it would not take any disciplinary action against any of its employees, players or executives despite a report upholding seven of the 43 allegations that Rafiq was the victim of racial harassment and bullying. Only recently have the chairman and chief executive resigned.
The England and Wales Cricket Board has suspended Yorkshire from hosting international matches over its “wholly unacceptable” response to the racism faced by Rafiq, while sponsors are ending deals, including kit supplier Nike.
“I agree that the handling of the report indicates issues around institutional racism,” ECB chief executive Tom Harrison told legislators.
Rafiq said he was being talked about as a captain of Yorkshire before reporting his concerns in 2017. Then Rafiq said board minutes said he was “a problem, a troublemaker and an issue that needs to be resolved.”
That followed a 2017 preseason tour when Rafiq said he suffered abuse from a teammate in front of others.
“Gary Ballance walks over and goes, ‘Why are you talking to him? You know he’s a P(asterisk)(asterisk)(asterisk).’ Or, ‘He’s not a sheikh, he’s got no oil,’” Rafiq testified.
Two weeks ago, Ballance, a former England cricketer, admitted to using a racial slur against Rafiq when they were teammates at Yorkshire, but said that was in the context of friends saying offensive things to each other.
In a written submission to the hearing, Rafiq claimed that Yorkshire “protected” Ballance by allowing him to miss drug hair sample tests to avoid sanctions.
“When he failed a recreational drug test and was forced to miss some games,” Rafiq said, “the club informed the public he was missing games because he was struggling with anxiety and mental health issues.”
At one point the committee had to break for several minutes after Rafiq grappled with the emotions of recounting painful experiences.
The Pakistan-born Rafiq, who is Muslim, described his distressing first experience of alcohol at the age of 15 after being asked about his drinking.
“I got pinned down at my local cricket club and had red wine poured down my throat, literally down my throat,” the 30-year-old Rafiq said. “I (then) didn’t touch alcohol until about 2012 and around that time I felt I had to do that to fit in. I wasn’t perfect. There are things I did which I felt I had to do to achieve my dreams.
“I deeply regret that but it has nothing to do with racism. When I spoke I should have been listened to. The game as a whole has a problem, with listening to the victim. There is no ‘yeah, but’ with racism; there is no ‘two sides’ to racism.”
English cricket racism exposed by victim Rafiq at parliament
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English cricket racism exposed by victim Rafiq at parliament
- “Do I believe I lost my career to racism? Yes, I do," said Rafiq, who played for Yorkshire — England's most successful cricket club
- Racism complaints that led to Yorkshire launching an investigation in September 2020 reached the British Parliament
Alcaraz beats Sinner again to win the Italian Open and solidify his status as French Open favorite
- Since last year, Alcaraz is the only player to beat Sinner more than once and now he’s done it four straight times
- Sinner was attempting to become the first home man to win the Italian Open since Adriano Panatta in 1976
ROME: There’s only one player who is consistently beating Jannik Sinner.
Carlos Alcaraz defeated the top-ranked Sinner again, 7-6 (5), 6-1, to win his first Italian Open on Sunday and add another big clay-court title to his resume.
Since the start of last year, Alcaraz is the only player to beat Sinner more than once and now he’s done it four straight times.
“Just proud about myself, the way that I approached the match mentally. Tactically think I did it pretty well from the first to the last point,” Alcaraz said. “I maintained my level during the whole match.”
Alcaraz’s victory before Sinner’s home fans at the Foro Italico snapped the Italian’s 26-match winning streak, which stretched back to October — when Alcaraz beat him in the China Open final in a third-set tiebreaker. Alcaraz now leads the career series 7-4.
It was Sinner’s first tournament back after a three-month doping ban.
“I’m just really happy to see Jannik back at this amazing level,” Alcaraz said. “I’m sure it wasn’t easy for him coming back from three months without playing. Making the final here is something insane.”
Alcaraz also solidified his status as the favorite to defend his title at the French Open, which starts next Sunday.
“On clay right now, you’re the best player,” Sinner said.
Added Alcaraz, “Beating Jannik, winning Rome. I think both things mixed together give you a great confidence coming to Paris. I always say that the final is not about playing, the final is about winning, to go for it. I just repeated (that to) myself all the time.”
Alcaraz spoils Sinner’s return
Sinner was playing his first tournament since he won his third Grand Slam title at the Australian Open in January.
In February, Sinner agreed to a settlement with the World Anti-Doping Agency that raised questions, since the three-month suspension allowed him not to miss any Grand Slams, and come back at his home tournament.
Sinner said he and his team went through “three months that were anything but easy, so achieving this result already here is really big” and that “we should be really proud.”
He added: “We’re bringing home a very special trophy, even if I wanted the other one.”
Sinner was attempting to become the first home man to win the Italian Open since Adriano Panatta in 1976. He was also trying to complete a sweep of the Rome singles titles for Italy after Jasmine Paolini won the women’s trophy on Saturday.
Paolini and partner Sara Errani also defended their women’s doubles title earlier Sunday, making Paolini the first woman since Monica Seles in 1990 to sweep Rome’s singles and doubles titles in the same year.
A large number of the 10,500 fans in Campo Centrale were decked out in orange — Sinner’s theme color — and they were chanting Sinner’s name before the match even began, and even after Sinner lost.
“You gave me a lot of energy, lot of courage to be here on court, I tried with everything I had,” Sinner told the crowd. “It was something very, very special. Thank you.”
Sinner also cracked a joke about offering “special thanks” to his brother, Mark, “who instead of being here, decided to go to Imola to watch Formula 1.”
Sinner wasted 2 set points
Sinner wasted two set points on Alcaraz’s serve when he led 6-5 in the first set and then Alcaraz jumped ahead in the tiebreaker with two aces and held on to seal it before cruising in the second set.
On Alcaraz’s third match point, Sinner ran down a drop shot but Alcaraz was waiting for his reply and hit a stretch volley winner into the open court.
Alcaraz then held his hands out wide and flashed a wide smile.
Alcaraz hit 19 winners to Sinner’s seven and only had one more unforced error than his opponent — 31-30. Half of Sinner’s errors came from his backhand, which is usually his most dependable shot.
Alcaraz, a four-time Grand Slam champion, will move back up to No. 2 in the rankings on Monday after his third final in three clay-court events this season. He won the Monte Carlo Masters and finished runner-up in the Barcelona Open before withdrawing from the Madrid Open because of injury.
Having also won the Madrid Open in 2022 and 2023, Alcaraz became the fifth man to win all three Masters 1000 clay events after Rafael Nadal, Novak Djokovic, Gustavo Kuerten and Marcelo Rios.
Syrians chase equestrian glory in sport once dominated by Assads
- For decades, former president Bashar Assad, his relatives and allies enjoyed wide-ranging privileges before his overthrow in December
DAMASCUS: For weeks, Ziad Abu Al-Dahab has been training for gold at an equestrian tournament near Damascus — in a sport once dominated by Syria’s Assad family and their inner circle.
“Results used to be decided in advance, always favoring those close to the government,” the 25-year-old rider said.
“My greatest ambition was to reach third place, but today, I can aim for first and do well with my new horse.”
For decades, former president Bashar Assad, his relatives and allies enjoyed wide-ranging privileges before his overthrow in a lightning Islamist-led offensive in December.
Equestrian sports surged in the 1990s under Assad’s late brother Bassel, who was being groomed to succeed their father Hafez before dying in a car crash in 1994. Bashar took over and became president in 2000.
Bassel used to take part in tournaments at home and abroad and styled himself as Syria’s “first rider.”
His profile helped shine a spotlight on the sport, which came to symbolize elite status under the Assads.
Abu Al-Dahab said those close to the family had European horses, which far outperformed the local ones of other competitors.
“It was impossible to compete with the ruling family,” he said while walking his horse on the sand.
Banned from competing
Outside the Dimas equestrian club near Damascus, a statue of Bassel still stands, his face now hidden by the new Syrian flag.
The family’s grip on the sport passed to the next generation, including Sham, daughter of Bashar’s brother Maher.
Sham used to compete in Syria and at international tournaments, often placing high.
The attention she received in the media stirred controversy, with critics seeing it as propaganda.
That grip on the sport kept some away. Munana Shaker, 26, said her father banned her from competing until the Assads were gone.
“My father forbade me from practicing due to fear (of the ruling family), and he always told me that competition with them was impossible,” she said as she stroked her white mare, Mariana.
“He didn’t want us associating with the Assad family at all. He told me the story of the equestrian who was jailed after beating Bassel Assad, and did not want to put me in danger.”
She was referring to Adnan Qassar, a prominent rider who outperformed Bassel before being imprisoned without trial in 1993, accused of plotting to kill him.
Many believe his sporting success was the real reason for his arrest. Qassar was freed 21 years later under a presidential pardon.
“I have long stayed away from this sport, but it is now time to come back strong. I am from the Shaker family, not the Assad family,” she said.
Dream come true
Shadi Abu Al-Dahab, 48, oversees about 240 horses — including some of the Assads’ former European ones.
“Around 40 horses were set aside for the Assad family. No one else was allowed to get near them,” he said.
But today, he’s seeing new faces and growing interest in the sport.
“We have new skills that we discover daily, and enthusiastic children... We now have a large number of riders aspiring to compete and get titles,” he said.
Fellow trainer Salah Al-Ahmad, 52, was beaming as his son took the mare Topsy for a spin — once ridden by Sham Assad.
“He used to dream of touching her or patting her head,” Ahmad said. “Now in this new era, the mare is with him, and he has won two tournaments.
“It’s a dream come true.”
Shai Gilgeous-Alexander and Thunder roll into West finals with 125-93 rout of Nuggets in Game 7
- Oklahoma City went a league-best 68-14 in the regular season, becoming the youngest team to win at least 60 games
OKLAHOMA CITY: The Oklahoma City Thunder grew up on Sunday.
Shai Gilgeous-Alexander scored 35 points, Jalen Williams added 24 and the Thunder rolled into the Western Conference finals, beating the Denver Nuggets 125-93 in Game 7.
The top-seeded Thunder will host the sixth-seeded Minnesota Timberwolves starting Tuesday. It’s Oklahoma City’s first trip to the conference finals since 2016.
Oklahoma City went a league-best 68-14 in the regular season, becoming the youngest team to win at least 60 games. To back up their status as the best team in the league, the Thunder had to get past three-time MVP Nikola Jokic and a Denver squad that won the NBA title in 2023 and beat the Los Angeles Clippers in seven games in the first round this year.
Coach Mark Daigneault said his players handled the pressure well.
“There’s not many games, you wake up in the morning and you know that you’re going to remember the game for the rest of your life, and Game 7 is one of them,” he said. “To be able to focus through that and perform the way these guys did today was very impressive.”
Jokic had 20 points, nine rebounds and seven assists for the Nuggets. Aaron Gordon, a key player for Denver throughout the playoffs who hit the winner in Game 1 against the Thunder, started despite a strained left hamstring. He had eight points and 11 rebounds in 24 minutes.
“What he played with today, I don’t know many people that would even attempt to go out there and run up and down,” Nuggets interim coach David Adelman said. “And he did it in Game 7 against Oklahoma City on the road. That that was one of most incredible things I’ve ever seen. He was extremely close to not playing. I was surprised.”
The Thunder fell behind by 11 in the first quarter, but took the lead early in the second. Oklahoma City outscored Denver 39-20 in the period to take a 60-46 lead at the break.
Gordon was called for a flagrant-1 foul for elbowing Gilgeous-Alexander in the face early in the third quarter. Gilgeous-Alexander made both free throws, and then Williams hit a short jumper to give Oklahoma City a 66-46 lead.
Cason Wallace got loose on a fast break and dunked on Jokic to put the Thunder up 78-57, sparking delirious roars from the crowd.
Oklahoma City cruised from there and now hopes to make another leap.
“We’re better now than we were at the beginning of the series, and it’s because of them,” Daigneault said. “They pushed us to the limit.”
Villarreal dampens Barcelona’s title celebrations. Mbappé scores again for Madrid
- Villarreal’s victory secured its return to the Champions League for the first time since reaching the semifinals in 2022
MADRID: Villarreal dampened Barcelona’s title celebrations by handing the Catalan club its first defeat of 2025 in the Spanish league on Sunday.
Barcelona, which clinched its 28th league title midweek, presented the trophy to its fans in the team’s final home match of the season at Montjuic stadium. Players were announced one by one after the game, which Villarreal won 3-2, before lifting the trophy.
Barcelona’s Spanish Super Cup and Copa del Rey trophies also were displayed at Montjuic, with players dancing around the silverware during the celebrations.
“We can be proud of this team for winning these titles and for how it did it,” Barcelona goalkeeper Marc-André ter Stegen said. “We had a great season in all levels.”
Before the match, Villarreal players did a guard of honor for the new league champions, with its players lining up to congratulate Barcelona as the team entered the field.
Real Madrid won 2-0 at nine-man Sevilla, with Kylian Mbappé extending his league-leading tally to 29 goals with one round to go. Jude Bellingham also scored. Madrid reached 81 points, four fewer than Barcelona.
Villarreal’s victory secured its return to the Champions League for the first time since reaching the semifinals in 2022.
It will join Barcelona, Madrid, Atletico Madrid and Athletic Bilbao in Europe’s top club competition next season. Spain will have five clubs in the Champions League next season.
Real Betis clinched one of the Europa League spots. Celta Vigo, Rayo Vallecano and Osasuna will be chasing the final Europa League place and the Conference League spot.
Leganes, owned by former Houston Astros general manager Jeff Luhnow, and Espanyol will try to avoid the last relegation spot in the final round when Leganes is at last-placed Valladolid and Espanyol faces relegated Las Palmas.
Barcelona, Madrid, Atletico and Athletic will play in next year’s lucrative Spanish Super Cup in Saudi Arabia.
All 10 games were played at the same time on Sunday.
Barcelona’s loss
Barcelona hadn’t lost in the league since a 2-1 defeat against Atletico on Dec. 21, with 15 wins and two draws since then. Villarreal’s win was its fifth straight victory in the league.
Ayoze Pérez put the visitors ahead after a breakaway four minutes into the match. The hosts equalized when Lamine Yamal scored with yet another beautiful goal in the teenager’s outstanding season, curling in a left-footed shot from outside the area.
Fermín López put Barcelona ahead in first-half stoppage time, but Santiago Comesaña scored for Villarreal in the 50th and Tajon Buchanan netted the winner in the 80th.
It was likely the last match Barcelona played at Montjuic stadium as the club plans to return to the Camp Nou Stadium next season even though renovation work at the venue is not expected to be fully completed until mid-2026.
Mbappé’s goals
Mbappé strengthened his chances of finishing as the league’s top scorer this season with a goal from a low shot from outside the area in the 75th.
Mbappé now has 29 league goals. Barcelona’s Robert Lewandowski (25 goals) is his nearest rival.
Sevilla’s Loic Bade was sent off in the 12th for a foul on Mbappé to stop a breakaway. Then Isaac Romero was shown a red card for a hard foul on Aurélien Tchouaméni.
It was the second-to-last match for Madrid under Carlo Ancelotti before he becomes Brazil coach. Xabi Alonso is widely expected to be Madrid’s next coach.
Sevilla, sitting in 16th place, had only one win in its last 10 games.
Relegation fight
Leganes kept its survival hopes alive by winning 1-0 at Las Palmas with a sixth-minute goal by Dani Raba.
It is two points behind the first team outside the relegation zone, Espanyol, which remained in danger after a 2-0 loss at Osasuna for its fifth straight defeat.
Alaves escaped the drop by winning 1-0 at Valladolid, while Getafe did the same by beating Mallorca 2-1 to end a six-game losing run.
Second-to-last Las Palmas and bottom side Valladolid had already been relegated.
European places
Celta Vigo lost 2-1 at home to Rayo Vallecano but holds the final Europa League spot in seventh place. It is one point ahead of both eighth-placed Rayo — in the Conference League position — and ninth-placed Osasuna.
Rayo will host Mallorca in the final round, while Osasuna visits Alaves and Celta is at Getafe.
Spanish Super Cup
The top two teams in the league and the Copa del Rey finalists are awarded places in the Spanish Super Cup. Since this season’s final was between Barcelona and Madrid, two other spots were made available through the league.
Third-placed Atletico guaranteed its spot with a 4-1 win over Betis with Julián Álvarez scoring twice, including with a superb curling free kick in the first half. Fourth-placed Athletic Bilbao won 1-0 at Valencia with a goal by Álex Berenguer.
Alguacil honored
Real Sociedad honored coach Imanol Alguacil in its final home match, a 3-2 win against Girona.
Alguacil will step down this summer after a mostly successful six-and-a-half-year stint in charge of the Basque Country club.
Scheffler pulls away to win PGA Championship for 3rd major title
- Scheffler was flawless when he had to be on the back nine of Quail Hollow, Scheffler was flawless when he had to be on the back nine of Quail Hollow
CHARLOTTE, North Carolina: Scottie Scheffler worked harder than he imagined and got the result everyone expected Sunday in the PGA Championship: A most pleasant walk to the 18th green with another major title secure in the hands of golf’s No. 1 player.
Scheffler was flawless when he had to be on the back nine of Quail Hollow, leaving the blunders to Jon Rahm and everyone else trying to catch him on a final day that turned tense until Scheffler pulled away with a steady diet of fairways and greens.
He closed with a bogey he could afford for an even-par 71, giving him a five-shot victory and his third major title. Scheffler became the first player since Seve Ballesteros to win his first three majors by three shots or more.
A snoozer? Not even close. That much was clear when Scheffler raised his arms on the 18th green and then ferociously slammed his cap to the turf.
Scheffler was five shots ahead coming to the last hole when he won his first Masters green jacket in 2022. He was four shots clear of the field when he won at Augusta National last year. And he had a six-shot lead at Quail Hollow.
But this sure didn’t feel like a walk in the park.
He had a five-shot lead standing on the sixth tee. But with a shaky swing that led to two bogeys, and with Rahm making three birdies in a four-hole stretch around the turn — they were tied when Scheffler got to the 10th tee.
It looked like a duel to the finish, with Bryson DeChambeau doing all he could to get in the mix, until Scheffler looked every bit the best in golf. He didn’t miss a shot off the tee or from the fairway until his lead back to four shots.
