Former Yorkshire CCC bowler John Blain threatens legal action over racism 'row back'

That letter, sent by then interim chief executive Pete Fitzboydon, on January 12, with the request that Blain keep it quiet until the complainants had been told, was significant because it appeared to exonerate him of an allegation used to uphold ones made by Rafiq in the English inquiry. Finally, Blain’s patience snapped and he made public the letter, along with his frustration, demanding “a full and transparent inquiry” into the actions of Cricket Scotland and sportscotland, the national agency for sport in the country, as well as for the ECB to revisit his case. Since then, matters have mushroomed. First, the team that investigated the complaints against Blain in Scotland issued a statement insisting that their role was “not to make findings of fact, nor to pronounce guilt, nor to exonerate or pronounce as innocent any person against whom allegations had been made”. Rather, it was to “identify learning lessons”. The impact seemed designed to challenge Blain’s innocence.

Events took a further twist when Running Out Racism, the campaign group, which has supported complainants during a wider investigation into racism in Scottish cricket, queried whether the case against Blain was closed at all, let alone in his favour, demanding that Cricket Scotland clarify matters.

This the governing body did on Tuesday, or at least endeavoured to do, in a wider statement announcing that the Scottish investigation had now concluded, and which addressed Blain’s situation in these terms: “Specifically in relation to John Blain’s recent media comments, the decision taken by the former interim CEO of Cricket Scotland, to inform Mr Blain of the outcome of his cases, was based on a significant welfare concern being raised, and subsequently confirmed by his legal representatives.

“In the interests of clarity, Mr Blain’s cases were not progressed further due to insufficient evidence, a lack of an applicable rule at the time of the complaint, or a lack of jurisdictional remit or authority to take formal action.”

Blain countered with his own statement, citing “a craven, disingenuous and despicable attempt by Cricket Scotland to rewrite history a week after I was forced to go public to clear my name.” He said Fitzboydon’s exoneration letter was “clearly confirmed by his successor, Trudy Lindblade, in a phone call with me in February”.

Blain added that “Cricket Scotland’s preposterous position now appears to be that they in fact lied to me out of consideration for my welfare”, adding that this “simply does not stand scrutiny when you consider that they removed me publicly from the Hall of Fame, my name was publicly dragged through the mud for years with no intervention or help from them and they prevaricated for five months after writing the letter which exonerated me”.

Blain went on: “I will now confer with my lawyers and take all steps necessary to protect my reputation in light of this extraordinary and unsustainable about-turn.”

In another twist, a letter has emerged, sent by Lindblade to one of the complainants, in which she states that a “procedural inability to progress” the case against Blain to a Conduct in Sport Panel was “not a statement of exoneration”. Clearly, the claims and counter-claims have a way to go yet, prolonging the misery, deepening the division.