How can Colin Graves expect to receive a fair political hearing? Chris Waters

“This is one of the most repellent and disturbing episodes in modern cricket history.”

The date was significant, for it came exactly two weeks before Knight’s own committee first heard evidence in the Yorkshire case.

In other words, Knight prejudged his own hearing.

At the hearing itself, Julie Elliott, the MP for Sunderland Central, opened her questioning to Azeem Rafiq, the complainant, with the following comment: “Can I just say that I believe you and I am sure this committee believes you. Do not for a second think that we do not believe you. I think most decent people in this country believe you.”

Given what we now know - that the committee held in its hands a copy of the Squire Paton Boggs (SPB) report into Rafiq’s allegations, which, as this newspaper was able to show, highlighted discrepancies that were simply allowed to go through unchallenged by its members - it was a remarkable opening gambit.

Just over a fortnight after the hearing, Julian Knight was at it again, this time praising the decision by Lord Kamlesh Patel, the incoming Yorkshire chair, to sack multiple coaching/backroom staff - including the British Asian lead physiotherapist Kunwar Bansil - without investigation.

“We welcome the announcement by Yorkshire County Cricket Club on the departure of its entire coaching staff,” said Knight. “The experience of Azeem Rafiq at YCCC demanded no less.”

When The Times published an interview with Bansil in July 2022, a man whose experience of the culture at Yorkshire was in direct contrast to the accepted narrative, Bansil said that Knight was dismissive on their one brief Zoom call when he tried to put his side of the story.

The Times later noted that “a letter from Knight and the committee warned in heavy-handed fashion about publishing aspects of it (the interview)”.

Knight is no longer chair of the DCMS - now called the CMS; he stepped down after his suspension by the Conservative Party following allegations of sexual misconduct, which he denied. At the time, Knight complained, perhaps ironically, about not receiving a “fair hearing”.

The new CMS head is Dame Caroline Dinenage, who appears a worthy disciple of the Knight school of chair-ship. For as Graves, the returning Yorkshire chair who was at the club during Rafiq’s first spell, prepares to face the CMS on February 20 for the latest grilling in connection with this story, the question might be asked: what chance does he have?

Not only Dinenage, in fact, but also fellow select committee members Clive Efford MP and Alex Sobel MP have already spoken out/raised concerns against him.

On January 11, after Yorkshire accepted Graves’s refinancing arrangement and he had offered an unreserved apology to anyone who had experienced racism at the club, despite insisting that he had never seen any or been made aware of any, Dinenage announced that Graves’s return “risks undermining what progress has been made so far”.

A few days earlier, Efford openly stated that Graves’s return would be “a disaster for cricket”, while Sobel, the Labour and Coop MP for Leeds North West, having already tweeted that (we) “don’t need people like Colin back at the club”, ramped up his attack against him on Tuesday.

Sobel said that he was “very concerned that we would lose the progress we have made under a return by Mr Graves” and claimed that “some sponsors had ended their association with the club”, an assertion that drew a bemused reaction when this correspondent queried the point with current club staff.

Sobel said that the situation “appears entirely commercial” given that Graves’s own family trust is the club’s main creditor, which “raises very serious questions of conflict of interest and the question of who would profit in future if lucrative deals within cricket are gained by Yorkshire”.

Not much room for doubt, therefore, as to what Sobel thinks about Graves.

All of which is fine given that everyone is entitled to their opinion, but these are MPs who are about to grill Graves in a parliamentary hearing.

If members have such concerns/preconceived ideas, why do they feel the need to advertise them like this in advance?

Alas, the suspicion that this will be just another “show trial” in which Graves will face a hostile reception is difficult to escape.

In the meantime, anyone with a spare tin hat might like to send it to Mr C Graves, c/o The Yorkshire County Cricket Club Limited, Headingley Stadium, Leeds, LS6 3DP.