Cricket: Bullying

(asked on 11th March 2021) - View Source

Question to the Department for Digital, Culture, Media & Sport:

To ask the Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport, what bullying, harassment and anti discrimination policies apply to members of the (a) England and Wales Cricket Board, (b) County Cricket Boards and (c) County and regional management; how many allegations concerning that policy have been made against members of those boards in the last five years; and how many of those allegations have been (i) upheld and (ii) rejected.


Answered by
Nigel Huddleston Portrait
Nigel Huddleston
Financial Secretary (HM Treasury)
This question was answered on 18th March 2021

The Government is clear that racism has no place in cricket, sport, or society at large. Our sport and physical activity strategy ‘Sporting Future’ has diversity and inclusion at its heart. In addition, Sport England’s new ten year strategy, “Uniting the Movement”, reinforces their commitment to increasing diversity and inclusion in grassroots sport and physical activity. However, it is ultimately for the England and Wales Cricket Board (ECB), as for all individual sports’ national governing bodies, to decide on the specific aims and appropriate initiatives to increase diversity in their organisations, and to evaluate progress with these.

We welcome the steps taken by the ECB in recent years to increase diversity in cricket, including the recent establishment of the Independent Commission for Equity in Cricket, chaired by Cindy Butts. This body looks to examine all issues relating to race and equity in cricket. The evaluation will play an important role in ensuring inclusivity, and that cricket is a game for everyone.

Since 2009, Sport England funding has directly contributed to a number of cricket participation projects with an equality, diversity and inclusion focus run by the ECB. This is in addition to the requirements around diversity set out in the UK Sport and Sport England Code for Sports Governance since 2017.

One example of the ECB’s work on diversity, funded by Sport England, is the South Asian Action Plan. This focuses on increasing racial diversity and opening up access to cricket, including facilities and delivery of bespoke formats of the sport for the community’s needs. After the success of the first investment of £1 million, this has recently been awarded an additional £1 million for the next 2 years.


There is still more to do, however, and we will continue to liaise with the ECB ensure this issue is tackled effectively and that recommendations from the commission are implemented.

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