Learning from cricket's crisis

I don't have a clue about what has gone on at Yorkshire – with allegations of racism rife and damning official reports creating a crisis for my home county cricket club.

But I do know whatever has happened at Headingly, the way Yorkshire's directors have managed the situation has made matters considerably worse. Their conduct is a lesson in how not to manage a problem!

I am not going to dwell on what was, or was not said to spin bowler, Azeem Rafiq. Whatever it was, it offended the player, and this is unacceptable. End of story.

But I would argue the way Yorkshire has tried to cover this whole unseemly mess up by, at the very least, burying its head in the sand, hoping the problem would miraculously disappear, has turned something that was an 'issue' into a full-blown crisis.

This really is not how you go about saying sorry.

As a lad who was brought up in Hull, I was always taught to tell the truth and show respect to people, regardless of their gender, race or religion (or the football team they support). Sadly, it would seem these qualities have bypassed my home county's great cricket club.

If I transgressed when I was a young lad, I would get a clip round the ear – from my mum, grandparents or aunts and uncles.

Now, I am not advocating violence in any shape or form. What I am saying is there was a consequence for my actions. If I fudged things and didn't tell the full truth, one clip around 'the lug ole' would become two or three. And I would learn my lesson; I rarely made the same mistake twice!

Alas, Yorkshire seems to have kept digging a hole for itself at every opportunity it has had to close the matter by saying sorry and showing the correct level of contrition. By doing this, I am sure Rafiq would have accepted the apology, and everyone could have moved on.

But we will never know because Yorkshire stuck to its obstinate course of action thinking it could get away with ignoring the rapidly growing rumpus. Only when it was too late did its directors attempt to reconcile things – and by then it was far too late.

Heads should – and will roll – for this matter. According to the latest news reports, the chairman has already fallen on his sword. Others will follow as Yorkshire becomes the pariah of domestic cricket until it proves to a cynical world it has changed.

For the rest of us, we can learn a valuable lesson from the affair, and it's this: when you do something wrong, own up straight away and take your punishment, whatever it may be. Not to do so will lead to even more grief and pain. In Yorkshire's case, this is the loss of millions of pounds in test match income (something county sides rely upon) and the tarnishing of its once enviable reputation.

And don't think the punishment would be less severe for an individual. It wouldn't be. For anyone of us, the recriminations could be really bad if we don't do the right things when the heat is on.

Tony Yorke is the deputy editor of Sorted.