Cricket Tasmania have appointed Andrew Gale as their new head coach for the male high performance pathway; it comes two years after he was sacked as Yorkshire coach after racism allegations made by Azeem Rafiq
Thursday 21 September 2023 10:53, UK
Andrew Gale has become head coach of Cricket Tasmania's male high performance pathway, two years after being sacked from Yorkshire following racism allegations by Azeem Rafiq.
Gale and former bowling coach Richard Pyrah lost their jobs at Yorkshire in December 2021, alongside 14 other members of staff, as chair Lord Patel dealt with the fallout of Rafiq's claims of institutional racism at the club.
An unfair dismissal tribunal had been due to take place in September 2022 before a compensation package was accepted by the pair that month, with Yorkshire admitting their sackings were "procedurally unfair".
On his new role in Australia, Gale posted on his LinkedIn: "I'm happy to share that I'm starting a new position as Male High Performance Pathway Head Coach at Cricket Tasmania."
Both Gale and Pyrah were charged by the England and Wales Cricket Board following Rafiq's testimony and refused to attend a hearing with the Cricket Discipline Commission (CDC) earlier this year.
Gale was handed a four-week suspension from coaching cricket (to take effect if he returns to ECB-regulated cricket as a coach) and a £6,000 fine as the CDC dished out sanctions in May.
Gale had issued a statement revealing why he refused to engage with the CDC process while also refuting claims made about him.
"For the avoidance of any doubt, I deny each and every allegation that Azeem raised with YCCC and then via the ECB suggesting that I have used racist language and bullied Azeem," the statement read.
"I was originally stunned but I am now angry that he has raised such allegations against me.
"I will always be unhappy with how my career ended but I refuse to have my life defined by unsubstantiated allegations by an embittered former colleague and by a YCCC/ECB witch-hunt."
In Rafiq's evidence given to the Digital, Culture, Media and Sport select committee last year, he alleged Gale - his former captain at Yorkshire - had discriminated against him and bullied him over an extended period.
Gale played for Yorkshire as a batsman for more than a decade before becoming first-team coach in 2016.
