Cricket Scotland can confirm that a legal claim made by Majid Haq has been withdrawn.
Cricket Scotland acknowledges and regrets the hurt that Mr Haq has endured. His experiences were included in the “Changing the Boundaries” report into racism within Scottish cricket and the wide-ranging investigation programme that followed.
After making significant contributions to those processes, Mr Haq was subjected to racial abuse while umpiring in 2023. That incident resulted in criminal prosecution and a lifetime ban being imposed on the individual responsible.
Cricket Scotland today reiterates its regret for Mr Haq’s experiences and makes clear that any form of racism has no place in our sport, is entirely unacceptable and will be responded to in the strongest terms.
Furthermore, Cricket Scotland is reaffirming its commitment to applying a zero-tolerance policy to all forms of discrimination within Scottish cricket. Embedding a culture of inclusivity and fostering a diverse and equitable cricketing environment where every individual can participate, enjoy, and thrive is a cornerstone of Cricket Scotland’s strategic priorities.
You can read more about Cricket Scotland’s commitment to Equality Diversity and Inclusion, including the EDI Strategy and Action Plan, on the Cricket Scotland website HERE.
Cricket Scotland has agreed to publish Majid Haq’s response in full, which you can read below.
MAJID HAQ STATEMENT
I’m relieved to have found a way forward with Cricket Scotland that means I can now put my energies into my umpiring ambitions and contribute to the growth of cricket in Scotland.
These last 11 years have been some of the hardest of my life. My experiences, particularly those during my playing career, and the subsequent backlash and abuse for speaking about them has come at great personal cost to me and my family.
However, there are positive things that have emerged from this difficult period. The Changing the Boundaries review has led to significant reform at Cricket Scotland, including implementing several changes to procedures and rules to ensure any repeat of these types of issues can be handled appropriately.
The new procedures should ensure that if any individual were to experience anything similar, Cricket Scotland now has all the tools it needs to implement, a zero tolerance approach to racism. It has already demonstrated in my 2023 case a willingness to use them.
Implementing the changes and improvements our sport needs will require commitment to build on this start. We now need to make all that has gone before worth it, and that falls to all of us. I recognise dealing with the past issues has been time consuming and traumatic for everyone involved, and that our energies can be collectively best put into making change a reality.
By withdrawing my court action, I have committed to enabling Cricket Scotland to take the steps they’ve outlined in their commitments and EDI plans to make our sport inclusive and safe for all that participate. There will likely be issues along the way as we embark on this journey together. For my part, I am committed to constructively engaging with Cricket Scotland to raise and deal with any such issues as they arise.
Nothing can change the experience of the past or restore experiences lost. I have had to learn to live with an unsought role as a figurehead for this issue with the unwanted negativity. I can only hope that over time that can change too, and we can all move forward together to play our role in leading cricket’s growth in Scotland.
I am thankful to my family, friends and advisors who have given me support in the dark times. You have given me the strength to see this through when I’ve needed it the most. That persistence has led to reforms in our sport we can be proud to be a part of.
I would also like to acknowledge that the last few years have been difficult for many people, and I hope that for them too, any pain will be eased by the knowledge that sharing our experiences has made a difference to the sport we love.
Finally, I am grateful to representatives of Cricket Scotland’s leadership for sitting with the discomfort and challenges this situation presented. The past cannot be forgotten, but I look forward to seeing cricket flourish in Scotland and supporting the work undertaken by Cricket Scotland to ensure cricket is a sport that is at all times welcoming and inclusive for everyone.
