Report: Cricket inequalities in England and Wales are untenable

Writing in The Conversation, Dr Michael Collins (UCL History) shares the report he co-led which recommended ways to address the ongoing and historic racism, elitism and sexism prevalent in English and Welsh cricket. After more than two years of research, interviews and evidence gathering, a landmark report by the Independent Commission for Equity in Cricket (ICEC) was published on June 27 2023. Holding Up a Mirror to Cricket contains strong and disturbing evidence about the class prejudice, racism and misogyny that runs through all levels of the game in England and Wales. The ICEC was established in 2021 by the England and Wales Cricket Board (ECB), the sport's official governing body, to assess evidence of inequalities and discrimination, and to recommend actions to address these issues. I was one of the four commissioners working with the ICEC's chair Cindy Butts (previously the deputy of chair of the Metropolitan Police Authority). We found that class prejudice is extensive in cricket. Racism is still entrenched.