Ebony Rainford-Brent reveals horrible racist letter as ECB is put in the dock for letting Yorkshire CCC ‘mark their own homework’

Former England cricketer Ebony Rainford-Brent shared a picture of a racist hate letter she received, where she was told to “leave our country”.
Former England player Ebony Rainford-Brent has revealed the contents of a racist letter she has received (Picture: Stu Forster/Getty Images)Former England player Ebony Rainford-Brent has revealed the contents of a racist letter she has received (Picture: Stu Forster/Getty Images)
Former England player Ebony Rainford-Brent has revealed the contents of a racist letter she has received (Picture: Stu Forster/Getty Images)
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Azeem Rafiq’s legacy is that Yorkshire CCC and cricket can no longer turn a blin...

Rainford-Brent, who became the first black woman to play for England in 2001, posted the sickening correspondence on Twitter.

She captioned her tweet: “Interesting... Born in South London but apparently I was found naked in Africa as a primitive. Had some letters in my time but this one up there!”

England and Wales Cricket Board (ECB) chief executive Tom Harrison arrives to attend a Digital, Culture, Media and Sport (DCMS) Committee meeting (Picture: Getty Images)England and Wales Cricket Board (ECB) chief executive Tom Harrison arrives to attend a Digital, Culture, Media and Sport (DCMS) Committee meeting (Picture: Getty Images)
England and Wales Cricket Board (ECB) chief executive Tom Harrison arrives to attend a Digital, Culture, Media and Sport (DCMS) Committee meeting (Picture: Getty Images)
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The handwritten letter read: “White cricket culture is white culture you racist B***h! Who invited you to my country? Go B***h go!! White culture is wiping your a*** with white toilet paper!!!

“We found you NAKED in Africa Ebony! NAKED, illiterate, primitive! Yes primitive Ebony!!

“Leave our country B***h! Leave now! Go! Go Today!”

Rainford-Brent played 29 times for England between 2001 and 2010 and soon moved into broadcasting, featuring regularly for Sky Sports and Test Match Special.

Former Yorkshire player Azeem Rafiq gave evidence at the DCMS committee on Tuesday (Picture: Getty Images)Former Yorkshire player Azeem Rafiq gave evidence at the DCMS committee on Tuesday (Picture: Getty Images)
Former Yorkshire player Azeem Rafiq gave evidence at the DCMS committee on Tuesday (Picture: Getty Images)

She joined forces with her Sky Sports colleague Michael Holding in the summer of 2020 to feature in a powerful video discussing the Black Lives Matter movement, a campaign that saw the pair awarded the Freedom of the City of London.

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In the short film, the 37-year-old spoke about how regular comments about her ethnicity made her question her future in the game.

Along with her broadcasting career and a role as director of Surrey women’s team, she set up the ACE Programme - a charity aimed at increasing cricketing opportunities for members of the African-Caribbean community.

The revelation came on Wednesday night after a day in which English cricket was beginning to pick up the pieces after Azeem Rafiq’s damning revelations about racism in the game swept up a handful of household names.

Rafiq’s visceral testimony in front of the Digital, Culture, Media and Sport select committee on Tuesday shone an uncomfortable light on institutions and individuals, with longstanding grievances against Yorkshire amplified by specific new allegations against a slew of former England internationals.

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Tim Bresnan, Matthew Hoggard, Alex Hales, Gary Ballance and David Lloyd were all subject to fresh claims of racial discrimination, as was Yorkshire’s suspended head coach Andrew Gale. Rafiq told MPs over the course of almost an hour and 40 minutes of explosive, emotional evidence that he wished to become “the voice of the voiceless” in the issue of race in cricket and used his platform to give a disturbing account of his own experiences.

In response, Baroness Warsi, the first British Muslim cabinet minister and now serving in the House of Lords, has called on the England and Wales Cricket Board to lead a period of change.

Apparently unimpressed by the select committee appearance of an ECB delegation, led by chief executive Tom Harrison, she said: “What was disappointing for me yesterday was the way in which the ECB felt they could step aside in the past because the clubs accused of racism wanted to mark their own homework.So it is time for the ECB to be involved with a full inquiry which includes a truth and reconciliation process that allows anonymity because that is what players want. What happened to Azeem was the tip of the iceberg in Yorkshire and what we are seeing happening in Yorkshire is the tip of the iceberg as to what is happening in English cricket.

“I have spoken, as has Azeem and others, to many young and talented players – players who have now given up cricket because of what they have faced in other counties and clubs up and down the country and this is an endemic issue.”

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