Former England captain Michael Vaughan, who was dropped from the BBC’s commentary panel in the aftermath of his racist spat with Azeem Rafiq, is scheduled to resume his commentary duties during the upcoming English summer. The former cricketer will return to the renowned broadcaster to cover England’s first summer Test match at Lord’s, as well as the Ashes series that follows.
Michael Vaughan was removed from the BBC’s coverage of the final Ashes series in Australia in 2021-22 after his involvement in a racist incident became public knowledge. In 2009, the former England captain was accused of using racial slurs against his former Yorkshire teammate, Azeem Rafiq.
During a 2009 Yorkshire match, Michael Vaughan was accused of telling Rafiq, “There are too many of you; we need to talk about that” He was removed from BBC’s Test coverage after he was charged with bringing the sport into disrepute, which sparked outrage on various social media platforms.
However, following a nine-month investigation, the Cricket Discipline Commission of the ECB dismissed all charges against Michael Vaughan.
Since the ECB presented charges against him, Vaughan has maintained his innocence. Despite his innocence, the former England top-order batsman demanded severe punishment for discriminatory incidents in cricket.
“The result must not detract from the message that prejudice has no place in cricket or in society as a whole. At the time of his verdict, Vaughan posted on social media, “I remain eager to help bring about positive change in any way I can.”
Vaughan will be a member of the broadcasting team for England’s first home Test match of the summer against Ireland at Lord’s, and he will also be available for the forthcoming high-profile Ashes series. Following England’s red-ball match against Ireland on June 1, the English will renew their rivalry with Australia on June 16.
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