English county Yorkshire has been hit by yet another controversy as former Windies pacer Tino Best has made some shocking allegations. According to him, the drinking culture in county teams was the reason behind Asian and non-white players getting less chances in English cricket. Tino, who played for Yorkshire in 2010, recalled an incident when Hashim Amla was pressured to drink. “There was a guy at Hashim Amla’s table who pressurized him for three to four hours to drink. Every minute, he’s like, ‘drink this, drink that.’ Hashim, in a very humble way said, ‘Sir (with a big smile) I don’t drink.’ However, this guy kept on forcing him. I then went to that guy and said: ‘Hashim is a Muslim and Muslims don’t drink. Can you please stop forcing him? It’s unbearable brother’,” recalled the 40-year-old in a conversation with Sky Sports.
“The culture around cricket is drinking. That is a big problem. People shouldn’t be pressured to go into the clubhouse and drink eight or nine pints to be a part of the team. If you’re not a part of the drinking culture, if you’re not a part of the boys’ club, you’re not going to get opportunities after cricket. That is something that is hampering people of colour and Asian ethnicity,’ Best told BBC Sport. Best also recalled how several non-white cricketers were mistreated at Yorkshire in 2010 and how they feared repercussions. “Me being a person of colour as well, I would always be with them as well. It was just astounding to hear what those guys were saying back in 2010,” he asserted. Best signed a contract with Yorkshire County Cricket Club in April 2010 to represent them until the end of May. After some good performances, his contract was extended, but his form tailed off and he was demoted from opening the bowling, before being dropped from the team at the end of July. In nine first-class matches for the club, Best managed 18 wickets at a cost of 44.05 runs each. He was more successful in Yorkshire's one-day matches, taking ten wickets from five matches at an average of less than 20.[26][27] In August 2010, Best's central contract was not renewed.
