Colin Graves, Yorkshire's former chair, insists that he by no means witnessed any cases of racism throughout his time on the helm, and has as a substitute doubled down on the suggestion raised throughout the membership's preliminary report into Azeem Rafiq's allegations again in 2021, that regrettable phrases might have been used throughout the context of dressing-room "banter".

Graves served as Yorkshire chair between 2012 and 2015, a spell that coincided with Rafiq's preliminary interval on the membership. And his feedback come after Yorkshire admitted to 4 amended expenses referring to their dealing with of Rafiq's allegations of racism and bullying, with sanctions anticipated to be handed down on June 27.

"When I was chairman of the club, when some of these allegations were made, I can tell you now, nothing was brought up within the club," Graves informed Sky Sports News.

"And I ran the club on an open-door basis as chairman, players could come and see me if they had issues and they did so on a regular basis ... nothing was ever brought up on the table about any racism allegations whatsoever.

"I feel there have been odd events the place phrases have been mentioned that folks might remorse afterwards," he added. "I do not assume it was accomplished on a racist, savage foundation. I feel there was lots of - I do know folks do not just like the phrase banter - however I feel there might have been lots of banter in there about it, and I do know folks do not like that."

Graves' comments drew swift condemnation from the ECB, for whom he served as chair between 2015 and 2020.

"We are disillusioned to see the feedback made by Colin Graves on the historic racist points at Yorkshire County Cricket Club," the ECB mentioned in a press release.

"We mustn't ever once more hear of accounts like Azeem Rafiq's, the place racist slurs are used as a part of normalised on a regular basis language.

"These events, along with many issues experienced by Azeem and others during their time at Yorkshire have been upheld more than once, including during proceedings overseen by the Cricket Discipline Committee.

"We vehemently disagree that that is 'simply banter' and consider that any debate in that regard ought to cease instantly. Racism is not banter."

In 2002, Graves bailed the club out with a multimillion-pound loan, of which some £14.9 million is still owed to the Graves Family Trust. The club is due to repay £500,000 in October, with the rest due for repayment next year, and Graves had offered to help restructure that debt in return for a second stint as chair.

Last week, however, he withdrew his candidacy after criticising the length of time the board had taken to nominate a successor to Lord Patel, who stepped down in March.

"As far as I do know [Yorkshire] are going to expire of liquid money in September time," Graves said. "If [a buyer or investor] would not [come in], presumably the one method ahead for them is to enter administration.

"And when that happens - and I hope it doesn't happen - if they go into administration, then the administrator will have to talk to the trustees of the trust, because the trust has got first legal charge over the ground."

In response, Yorkshire's board insisted that the membership was conducting "many positive conversations" round funding - together with, it's believed, with the previous proprietor of Newcastle United, Mike Ashley, and the Saudi Arabia nationwide funding fund - however insisted that "the club is not for sale".

The ECB added: "Yorkshire is of giant significance to cricket in England and Wales with a deep historical past and a capability to encourage and join all cricket followers. They are presently working laborious to resolve their monetary and cultural challenges and the membership, and its new administration, have our full assist.''