Lawrence Booth: The wider questions of Rafiq’s outburst
July 28th, 2010 by Lawrence Booth in England
Several years ago I was having a drink with a member of the coaching staff on an England tour – though not a senior England tour – and he came out with an observation that stuck with me. ‘The thing with these Asian kids,’ he said, ‘is that they don’t always want to put the hard yards in.’
It was a gobsmacking assertion. And whenever another young Anglo-Asian cricketer fails to fulfil his promise or falls foul of the authorities, I’m reminded of that implicit sense of a racial ‘them and us’: the white Anglo-Saxon hegemony ranged silently but perceptibly against the so-called outsiders, striving for acceptance.
And so, when the England Under-19 captain and Yorkshire all-rounder Azeem Rafiq posted abusive comments earlier this week on Twitter aimed at the Under-19 coach John Abrahams, it was tempting to ask why another talented cricketer of Asian descent had gone, however temporarily, off the rails. (I should declare an interest here: I wrote the story of Rafiq’s blunder in today’s Daily Mail. These are not crocodile tears, but a tangent off the news story and an interest in a deeper question.)
It should be pointed out here that I am not suggesting any kind of racial bias on the part of the ECB towards Rafiq. He reacted badly to events in a team meeting – the details of which I can’t go into here – and vented his anger on Twitter. He knows he did a stupid thing and regrets it. He should be stronger for the experience.
But the roll call of Anglo-Asians who have come and gone with varying degrees of haste in recent times means it is not unreasonable to ask whether the assimilation of an ethnic group which should be flooding the English cricket market is all it might be.
To name a few: Aftab Habib (played two Tests in 1999 and was never heard of again); Usman Afzaal (played three Tests in 2001, didn’t get another look-in); Bilal Shafayat (captained England Under-19s, drifted towards anonymity since); Sajid Mahmood (never turned potential into results); Monty Panesar (once verged on stardom, now castigated for his Groundhog Day approach to left-arm spin); Owais Shah (gifted, but dropped last year before lashing out about his face not fitting); Samit Patel (took a five-for in an ODI, then kicked out for being overweight); Amjad Khan (one Test and goodbye); Ravi Bopara (England rate him, but have had issues with aspects of his ‘lifestyle’); Adil Rashid (the great leg-spinning hope whose attitude has been privately grumbled about); and now Azeem Rafiq.
I may have missed a couple out. And there is hope that Ajmal Shahzad will buck the trend. But the overall pattern sits uncomfortably with a sensible thesis: namely, that there are too many talented cricketers of Asian extraction in this country for this stream of near-misses and mishaps to be accepted at face value. (The success of Nasser Hussain, born in what was then Madras to an Indian father and an English mother, is too rare to be anything other than an exception.)
This blog is not in the position to diagnose. It can only guess at the reasons behind the phenomenon. But is it outlandish to suggest that the feeling of them and us, encapsulated by the coach I shared a drink with, still lingers in certain quarters in our game – tacit but, to those outside the majority Anglo-Saxon demographic, all too tangible? Do Asian cricketers, in short, feel English cricket really is for them?
It can only be a theory, for these are issues too subtle to be definitive about. But Mike Atherton has discussed the issue before in the Times, and Rafiq’s mistake seems like a timely moment to bring it up again. English cricket needs to be honest with itself. Only then will we discover whether we are dealing with a mere coincidence or something that goes beyond carelessness.
Lawrence Booth writes on cricket for the Daily Mail and you can sign up here for his weekly newsletter ‘the Top Spin’, which was recently named Online Column of the Year at the Sports Journalists’ Association awards.
Posted in England | 21 Comments »
July 28th, 2010 at 1:28 pm
Would be interesting to compare english players in the same period from other ethnic backgrounds (west indian and the en-vogue South Africans) to see how many of them have ultimately not made it. I also think its fair to say that the “mental” selection policy applied by England in the last 10-15 years probably havent given some of these players a chance to really bed into the English side.
Always going to be a difficult subject to breach, personally i find it difficult to listen a daily mail employee talking about race and ethnic background!
July 28th, 2010 at 1:46 pm
Since 1999, these 23 non-Asian cricketers played fewer than 10 Tests for England before they were dropped in comparison with the seven Asians you mentioned:
Ed Giddins, Darren Maddy, Chris Adams, Gavin Hamilton, Chris Schofield, Ian Ward, James Ormond, Richard Dawson, James Foster, Anthony McGrath, Richard Johnson, James Kirtley, Ed Smith, Gareth Batty, Rikki Clarke, Martin Saggers, Shaun Udal, Liam Plunkett, Ian Blackwell, Jon Lewis, Chris Tremlett, Darren Pattinson, Michael Carberry.
July 28th, 2010 at 1:57 pm
[...] This post was mentioned on Twitter by cricket with balls , Ashes Cup, Lawrence Booth, James Cannon, James Cannon and others. James Cannon said: RT @WisdenCricketer: Lawrence Booth on the wider questions raised by Azeem Rafiq's Twitter outburst http://tinyurl.com/3aan4wx #cricket … [...]
July 28th, 2010 at 2:02 pm
An interesting start to a debate surely worth having in depth in this magazine?
Such a debate should also include the UK black community – why / has that rich seam of talent been lost to football, basketball?
Not to mention the importation of ‘white flight’ talent such as KP…
Peter
July 28th, 2010 at 2:04 pm
Are you not mixing at least two issues up here?
First, there are those who never fulfilled their talent, such as Mahmood, Shah and, arguably, Panesar.
Then there are those who were never given a fair crack of the whip – Habib and Khan, say.
Neither of these categories is unique to England-qualified Asians. There are, proportionally, far more non-Asian players who have been discarded by England over the same timescale.
Then you need to take out a couple of outliers. Shafayat is far from being the first U19 captain not to ‘train on’ from his schoolboy promise (unless Rory Hamilton-Brown is closer to a Test cap than I realise, anyway) whilst Patel was dropped for not being as skinny as Steven Finn, which is probably fattist but certainly not racist.
All of which leaves you with a very small pool of players whose attitude problems, real or perceived, may be hurting their careers. Afzaal’s are well known, but those of Bopara and Rashid only really surfaced with the change of management, which makes you wonder whether it is more a case of two people who would not move with the times than anything cultural.
As for Rafeeq, well, which of us, as teenagers, didn’t say something in haste which we later regretted?
July 28th, 2010 at 3:41 pm
It’s an important question, encompassing wider things about identity and multiculturalism etc. All of which makes it a tad futile and self-absorbed to focus on my own experience but…
Playing non-stop cricket as a child and teenager for over a decade in a club in North London and (occasionally) for Middlesex, I wasn’t once coached by a non-Anglo-Saxon. When no member of the cricketing establishment (as seen through the eyes of an Asian kid) is Asian I think it does affect how welcome and included you feel.
The other thing is, especially once you get old enough, the sporting culture – full of booze – can run into religious/family pressure. There was a bloke at my club who was playing South of England cricket at Under-15s but soon after was put off playing entirely because of the off-field atmosphere.
These things don’t apply to many – including the list of misplaced talent you mentioned – but could be part of the reason why there is a feeling of divide and perhaps a siege mentality among those who break through.
July 28th, 2010 at 3:53 pm
@Ian – working for the Daily Mail doesn’t make you a racist
July 28th, 2010 at 4:25 pm
It’s easy to teach those most willing to learn, who fit into the box, who come with a hinterland that closely matches that of the teacher. It’s much harder to teach those less willing to learn – at least in the way the teacher wants them to learn, don’t fit into familiar boxes and have a wholly different set of cultural norms and responses to situations. But if they have the talent, it’s the teacher’s job to unlock it and allow the pupil to explore it.
It’s happening too often that something other than talent is blocking players from an Asian background reaching their potential – it’s right to ask questions about how they are being taught.
July 28th, 2010 at 5:26 pm
@Ian: That’s a fatuous remark.
@Harry: Fair point, although there are plenty of white players who have made it, whereas I can hardly think of any Asians. In fact, I forgot to mention Kabir Ali.
@Peter Blackman: Yes, although it’s a different debate, I think. The Caribbean community has lost interest in cricket, whereas the Asian community clearly has not.
@Richard O’Hagan: Yes, you’re right – they have all failed for one reason or another. Not a single one has nailed down a place. My question is: is there something that underpins all the different reasons? Why haven’t Monty, Mahmood and Shah fulfilled their potential? Why were Habib and Khan not given a fair crack? Why won’t Patel stop eating? Why does Rashid get up people’s noses? I don’t think you can discount an over-riding cultural clash that manifests itself in different ways…
@sahil: That’s all really interesting. Thanks.
@The Tooting Trumpet: I agree.
July 28th, 2010 at 5:45 pm
“Why does Rashid get up people’s noses?”
Not at Yorkshire he doesn’t, where he is turning in match-winning performances in Div 1 and has done for some time.
Who would have thought it – Yorkshire more nurturing than England?
July 28th, 2010 at 5:59 pm
@The Tooting Trumpet: I can guarantee you he gets up people’s noses in the England set-up…
July 28th, 2010 at 6:06 pm
I’m sure he does Lawrence, but that’s part of the job for anyone who seeks to teach, coach, lead, manage.
July 28th, 2010 at 6:08 pm
Yes, but perhaps England feel that by the time a player reaches international level, they can do without the baby-sitting…
July 28th, 2010 at 6:21 pm
“I teach at a city college in New York, where we come very close to allowing virtually anybody who applies to walk in. I say, ‘This is the hand I was dealt this semester. This is my job.” Some people say to me, “Your students at Queens, are they any good?” I say, “I make them good.” from an Atlantic Monthly article I have just been tweeted – http://www.theatlantic.com/culture/archive/2010/07/whats-wrong-with-the-american-university-system/60458/
July 28th, 2010 at 6:23 pm
Lawrence – it’s not baby-sitting. If a grown man is acting as unprofessionally as you suggest, that is a symptom and it’s the cause that needs addressing. Sure eventually you may have to just write someone off, but that’s a last resort and should never be necessary except in extreme cases. Rashid can’t be an extreme case, or how does he fit in at Headingley?
July 28th, 2010 at 6:24 pm
I think Monty is the most interesting case here. Nothing seemed to be “wrong” with his attitude, yet as soon as he was out of the team, it felt like he was miles away from being called up again.
I’d like to see how much time good ole “Swanny” is given if things go quiet for a test or two…
July 28th, 2010 at 7:38 pm
I’ve read from the media that Rashid is a “slow learner”, that he’s “young for his age”, and now that he gets up noses and needs babysitting. But no journalist has stated clearly what the problem was. Bad behaviour? Poor time keeping? Not making enough effort in training? He certainly seems to outperform his peers in county cricket.
July 28th, 2010 at 11:16 pm
Maybe it’s a problem with some of these guys being bad selections. Mahmood was always wayward – like Plunkett. Patel hadn’t sorted his lifestyle and was too fat- like Blackwell. Khan was a wildcard that didn’t come off – like Pattinson. Not sure it’s a race thing -rather a selection issue, and lots of the more brilliant but still not complete cricketers happen to be Asian.
July 29th, 2010 at 10:21 am
@Lawrence Have you investigated whether the number of Asian players who flame out in English cricket is the same proportion as for Asian cricket? Only if it is more do you need to consider it an English problem
July 29th, 2010 at 12:22 pm
Maybe the thing about getting up people’s noses is most pertinent – the England set-up seems obsessed with team spirit and some kind of Twitter fuelled bonhomie – maybe players that “don’t fit in”, shall we say, are the ones that are then most likely to fall foul of the selectors if their performance dips.
July 30th, 2010 at 4:19 pm
Are there any stats on the numbers of asian cricketers playing county cricket and the numbers of games played by asian cricketers in the Test/ODI/Twenty20 side? As Harry points out you have a 3:1 ratio of those that haven’t kicked on.
In terms of failings and talent I’d pair up Shah with Joyce, Mahmood=Plunkett, Habib=James, Patel=Blackwell=Key, Afzaal=Smith.
In terms of specific current examples I can imagine Rashid gets up people’s noses in a similar way to how Swann did originally. Hopefully he’ll kick on in one discipline and work his way back in.
Monty is doing fine at Sussex however Robinson is sensible to admit he needs to get back to taking wickets in 4 day and 40 over stuff as a priority. But we didn’t play him in the Twenty20 – that’s everything to do with his attributes as a player. He’s starting to show some form and I’d give him a chance going on tour. He got a lot of grace in the Test side after his dip in form/batsmen working him out. I’d have dropped him after the home South African series on form alone.
So where does that leave us. We have a competative England team and dressing room where failure isn’t tolerated. The most talented asian players that have come through recently have been given a fair shot but ultimately aren’t in the team at the moment because their is a better all round player for the format (Rashid and Yardy), was terrible between the wickets (Shah), doesn’t match the fitness standards wanted by the coach and selectors (Patel), and stopped taking wickets (Panesar). Seems pretty fair to me.