Not long after that, other guys got the opportunity to apply and were given the route to become a first-class umpire. I was told the waiting list was too long. Obviously, I thought they would be more receptive second time around and the fact no black umpire had been appointed by the ECB since 1992. I took a part of my umpiring exams which I went through pretty well. The list was chock-a-block with umpires and it would be three or four years for it to change. “I was told at the time there was no chance. “When I finished playing cricket, I made some enquiries at the ECB about how I could get started as an umpire,” he said at the time. Malcolm, who played 40 Tests for England after emigrating from his native Jamaica in 1979 – including claiming a memorable nine for 57 against South Africa at The Oval in 1994 – was added to the ECB’s match referee supplementary panel six months after telling the Telegraph he had been twice knocked back in his bid to become an umpire during the past two decades. Holder and Dawood, who pointed out no ethnic minority umpires had been appointed to the ECB’s first-class panel since 1992 and that there had been no non-white representation on it since 2010, withdrew their claims days after the appointments of Malcolm and fellow former England fast bowler Dean Headley.Īny racist slur by Kelly about Malcolm would make a mockery of its commitment to a “diverse and inclusive officiating system” and completely undermine its bid to draw a line under the racism crisis to engulf the game following Yorkshire’s botched handling of the Azeem Rafiq affair. The ECB did so after being sued by former officials John Holder and Ismail Dawood, who claimed their careers had been cut short due to “institutionalised racism” there. The comment about one of English cricket’s most popular figures was alleged to have been made around a year after the governing body announced Malcolm as one of five new appointments to its match referee panel. The Telegraph has been told Chris Kelly, in post for more than 16 years, was stood down pending an investigation into a jibe he was accused of making earlier this season about being unable to see Malcolm until he smiles.
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The England & Wales Cricket Board was facing a major racism scandal on Friday evening after suspending its umpires’ manager over an alleged slur about England player turned match referee Devon Malcolm.
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Exclusive: Umpires chief suspended by ECB over Devon Malcolm 'racism slur'Ĭhris Kelly has been stood down amid an investigation into a jibe he was accused of making about being unable to see Malcolm until he smiles