Warwickshire and the England and Wales Cricket Board (ECB) are investigating reports of racist abuse on the fourth day of the ongoing fifth Test match between England and India at Edgbaston. A section of Indian cricket fans were racially abused towards the end of Day 4. Several Indian fans made claims on Twitter that they had faced racist abuse from other fans during the match.One of the spectators posted on Twitter, "women were literally in tears" and when the fans reported the problem to the stewards, they asked them to "sit down". Azeem Rafeeq, who last year had raised allegations of racist abuse, bullying and harassment at Yorkshire, highlighted the issue by sharing some of the posts. Edgbaston ground's official Twitter handle replied to one of the all-rounder's tweets: "We're incredibly sorry to read this and do not condone this behaviour in anyway [sic]. We'll be investigating this ASAP."
The ECB said in a statement: “We are very concerned to hear reports of racist abuse at today’s Test match. We are in contact with colleagues at Edgbaston who will investigate. There is no place for racism in cricket. Edgbaston has been working hard to create a safe and inclusive working environment.”Warwickshire County Cricket Club released a statement on Monday night in which Stuart Cain, the chief executive, said: “I’m gutted by these reports as we’re working hard to make Edgbaston a safe, welcoming environment for all.”“Having seen the initial tweets, I’ve spoken personally to the gentleman who raised them and we’re now speaking to the stewards in this area to establish what happened. Nobody should be subject to any form of abuse at Edgbaston. So, once we’ve got all the facts, we will make sure this issue is addressed swiftly,” he added.
