ECB join hands with Kick It Out to tackle racism and all forms of discrimination in cricket

The England and Wales Cricket Board (ECB) on Tuesday published an update on the implementation of cricket's action plan to tackle racism and promote inclusion and diversity at all levels of the game, which was announced on November 26, 2021.

The England and Wales Cricket Board (ECB) on Tuesday published an update on the implementation of cricket's action plan to tackle racism and promote inclusion and diversity at all levels of the game, which was announced on November 26, 2021. This is the first of the regular updates that the ECB committed to provide when it announced the action plan in November. The next update will take place before the end of March, with at least one further update to follow in each subsequent quarter.

The ECB also announced that they are working with Kick It Out, football's leading anti-discrimination organisation, to carry out research and identify areas where they can offer expertise in developing and implementing plans to build a more inclusive cricketing environment. It is the first time Kick It Out has worked outside football and the partnership is supported by funding from Sky.

"The intention is to provide further information about the actions underway across the cricket network, including the initial steps that have been taken in respect of each commitment and the anticipated timetable for full delivery of the plan," ECB in a statement said. There follows below an update on each of the game-wide measures that were announced as part of the action plan:

Adoption within three months of a standardised approach to reporting, investigating, and responding to complaints, allegations, and whistleblowing across the game. Full promotion of the aims of the Independent Commission for Equity in Cricket (ICEC) through proactive engagement with its investigations and recommendations.

Ongoing EDI training for all those who work in cricket, including all staff, volunteers, recreational club officials, umpires, directors, and coaches. A full review of dressing room culture in all men's and women's professional teams, both domestic and international.

Delivery of a redesigned programme of player and coach education, addressing any gaps identified through the dressing room review. Action to aid progress into professional teams of people from diverse backgrounds (especially South Asian, Black and less privileged youngsters) through measures to address: talent identification and scouting, education and diversity of coaches, and targeted support programmes for players from diverse or under-privileged backgrounds.

A full-scale review, in advance of the 2022 season, into the detection, enforcement, and sanctions against discriminatory and abusive crowd behaviour at each of our professional cricket grounds. Delivery of plans (tailored to local communities) to ensure professional cricket venues are welcoming to all, including provision of accessible seating, food and beverage offering catering to all faiths and cultures, and the availability of facilities such as multi-faith rooms and alcohol-free zones.

Upgraded education in recreational cricket to ensure players, volunteers and coaches understand and champion inclusion and diversity in the game. A commitment to best practice governance with targets for Board diversity (30% female, locally representative ethnicity by April 2022) and plans to increase diversity across the wider organisation. (Compliance will be subject to a "comply or explain" provision to ensure Counties can respect their own governance processes in making the required change).

The introduction of fairer recruitment processes through measures including the immediate adoption of anonymised recruitment tools for senior roles, open appointment processes for all roles and the use of balanced and diverse panels to assess interviews Every senior executive employed across the game will have personal EDI objectives as part of their annual performance targets, and driving leadership. (ANI)

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