It’s Not Banter, It’s Racism: What Cricket’s Dirty Secret Reveals About Our Society

By Azeem Rafiq

When Azeem Rafiq was a young boy playing cricket near his home in Pakistan, he could never have foreseen that this sport would change his life forever. He fell in love with the game quickly and it wasn’t long before the white flannels and green grass felt like home to him. When he moved to England, he became the youngest man to captain a Yorkshire side and the first person of Asian descent to do so. His talent was undeniable, and doors were opening for him.

But there was something Azeem was bottling up and it was about to explode out of him and shake the whole cricket world, and wider society, out of their slumber. It’s Not Banter, It’s Racism is the never before-told truth behind the racism accusations that shocked a nation, from the moment Azeem spoke up to the resulting events that have altered his world entirely.

With heartbreaking honesty, Azeem reveals why he will always use his voice in a society that would prefer him to be voiceless.