Independent review concludes Cricket Scotland to be 'institutionally racist'

Cricket Scotland's problems continue to mount after reports of the independent investigation into the organisation were released on Monday. The entity has been under the scanner since last year when a couple of its former players, including all-time leading wicket-taker Majid Haq, publicly recounted a racist culture in the governing body of cricket in the country. This led to SportScotland commissioning Play4Plan in December 2021 to carry out a proper review of the issue, the results of which have determined Cricket Scotland to be 'institutionally racist.'

A day prior to the release of the report, the directors of Cricket Scotland had submitted their resignations en masse, apologising to the public in the process. Plan4Sport's results reveal there were 448 examples of institutional racism, with 62% of the respondents of a poll spanning over 1,000 people through the different levels of management admitting to having witnessed, reported or experienced racism in some form.

“Our view is clear: the governance and leadership practices of Cricket Scotland have been institutionally racist. Over the review period, we have seen the bravery of so many people coming forward to share their stories which had clearly impacted on their lives," Louise Tideswell, managing director of Plan4Sport, was reported saying by News18.

“The reality is that the leadership of the organisation failed to see the problems and, in failing to do so, enabled a culture of racially aggravated micro-aggressions to develop. It didn’t address the lack of diversity at board and staff level and missed the need to develop transparent reporting, investigation and case management processes to address incidents of racism and discrimination," he added.

It remains to be seen what the future holds for Cricket Scotland and the sport at large in the country.