Third Essex player alleges racist abuse

Jahid Ahmed has become the third former Essex player to allege he experienced racist abuse at the club, saying he “felt like an outsider all the time”.

Former bowler Jahid told The Cricketer he came to “dread” going to the club, who he played for from 2005 to 2009.

He alleged that he was bullied by a senior coach and his voice was mocked by some players and some members of the coaching staff.

“Every day I would try to avoid their attention,” the 35-year-old said.

Former Essex players Zoheb Sharif and Maurice Chambers have also spoken about racist abuse they say they suffered at the club.

More than 2,000 people have now contacted the Independent Commission for Equity in Cricket’s (ICEC) inquiry into discrimination in the sport following the racism scandal at Yorkshire.

Jahid stated that one coach mocked him by putting on an “exaggerated Asian accent” and made jokes about terrorism, as did some other players.

He said the environment at Essex showed no respect for his Muslim faith.

“It was a white man’s world where brown people were outsiders,” Jahid said.

“I wanted to change my voice. I tried to deepen it. I really wanted to fit in.

“I felt like an outsider all the time I was at Chelmsford. I was always fearing what they would come up with and it made it incredibly hard to concentrate on my cricket.”

 

Source: BBC