ECB recommends fine and eight-week ban for Gary Ballance over racism case
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Wednesday 3 May 2023 16:41, UK
The England and Wales Cricket Board has recommended Gary Ballance be fined £8,000 and suspended for eight weeks in the wake of the Yorkshire racism scandal.
Ballance - one of six individuals connected with the club accused of using racist language in the case which stemmed from allegations made by former Yorkshire bowler Azeem Rafiq - had already admitted the charge brought against him by the ECB.
Ballance's lawyer, Craig Harris, argued the financial penalty should be reduced due to the cost of being involved in the proceedings, namely that he lost his job as a player at Yorkshire, a sponsorship contract, and was not considered for England selection.
The suspension appears to have little consequence given Ballance announced his retirement from playing last month.
The ECB will also recommend sanctions to be imposed on the other five: John Blain, Tim Bresnan, Andrew Gale, Matthew Hoggard and Richard Pyrah, to the independent Cricket Discipline Commission panel in central London.
Blain, Bresnan, Gale, Hoggard and Pyrah had all withdrawn from the disciplinary proceedings and did not appear at a liability hearing held in early March, with the charges against them heard in their absence.
Ballance has 'already paid the price', says lawyer
Sky Sports News reporter James Cole...
"The ECB lawyer spoke first, she recommended to the panel that Ballance should be reprimanded, face an £8,000 fine, undertake a racism and discrimination education course and also receive an eight-week suspension should he return to ECB-regulated cricket; that, though, is highly unlikely.
"His lawyer disagreed with that sanction, particularly the fine. He felt that was too high and argued there were mitigating circumstances that Ballance himself had been discriminated himself at Yorkshire because of his background coming from Zimbabwe, jokes about losing his family farm etc.
"He also argued the dressing room culture at Yorkshire was a mitigating factor, that this language was widely used and there was no intent from Ballance to harm, it was merely side in a jocular fashion.
"Finally, Ballance's lawyer added that Ballance has already paid the punishment in the sense that as soon as his name became public he lost his sponsorship contracts, his contract at Yorkshire, was out of the game for two years and now has had to retire altogether.
"He summarised by saying his client has paid the price already."
