Tykes chief takes the rap

Regan says 'buck stops with me'

Last updated: 8th July 2008

Azeem Rafiq 2008

Rafiq: No passport

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Yorkshire chief executive Stewart Regan has taken responsibility for the debacle which forced the postponement of his side's Twenty20 Cup quarter-final at Durham.

Regan has confirmed that Yorkshire failed to correctly register the player at the centre of the allegation - 17-year-old Azeem Rafiq - as a first-teamer, prior to the crucial group match against Nottinghamshire, in which the youngster took part.

Regan claims the ECB were prepared to backdate his registration but then discovered he did not hold a British passport.

It was the combination of both factors which led to the postponement of Monday's match and Regan has held his hands up over the affair which could affect Yorkshire's chances of qualifying for the highly lucrative Twenty20 Champions League.

Situation compounded

"Ultimately, the buck stops with me. I'm responsible for running the club," he said. "The club has got to put its hands up and say we didn't register the player correctly and we didn't look into the player's personal circumstances as

a first-team cricketer.

"The situation was compounded because he was pulled straight from the academy at very short notice to play for the first team when we had a couple of other players unavailable.

"It was that speed of selection, coupled with the fact that he hadn't been registered last October, which led to the situation we found ourselves in yesterday."

Questions regarding Rafiq's eligibility understandably come as a surprise - he captained England Under-15s and has played at every level for for the County, but because he was born in Pakistan and is not a British citizen, he would have to have been registered as an overseas player.

"Calling the match off is not up to Yorkshire County Cricket Club," Regan added. "We provided everything we could to the ECB over the weekend.

"It's a very unfortunate set of circumstances. In an ideal world, the match would have been called off a lot sooner.

"What's compounded the issue is the fact that the Twenty20 Cup this year carries such significance given that there's now a Champions League attached to it."