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.
'Azeem's first legacy - a legacy carved at great personal expense - was to expose how cricket works. His second gift may be to expose how this country works, too.' Jonathan Liew
'Azeem has stood up to the world, spoken back against evil. He has had victories. He has failed. He extends charity to others and he says no: no to racism. Because we must be better than our worst.' Stan Grant
'Azeem's dream was to help England win the Ashes. That wasn't to be. But maybe, one day we'll reflect that his legacy to the game is far greater than winning any amount of Test series.' George Dobell
'A principled whistleblower who stood up for what was right, Azeem has changed cricket forever.' Jennifer Robinson
'Honest, open and powerful.' Baroness Warsi
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About Azeem Rafiq
Azeem Rafiq is a cricketer who played for Yorkshire CCC for two stints between 2008 and 2018. In 2012 he became the first player of Asian origin to captain Yorkshire in a senior game. In September 2020, Rafiq made accusations of racism and bullying at Yorkshire and an independent report found that a number of his accusations were true. The case became a major media story in the United Kingdom. It led to a number of resignations at the club and was the subject of investigations by the England and Wales Cricket Board (ECB) and Digital, Culture, Media and Sport Select Committee in the British parliament.
