Yorkshire CCC racism hearings to be held in public after Azeem Rafiq request

It is understood parties were notified by the Cricket Discipline Commission (CDC) on Wednesday of the decision to hold the hearing in public.

In June the England and Wales Cricket Board charged a number of individuals over allegations made by Rafiq, and charged Yorkshire over their handling of those allegations.

The hearing is understood to have been scheduled for two weeks, starting from November 28. It will almost certainly take place in London. However, any appeal against the decision to hold it in public could lead to it being pushed back.

Rafiq has previously spoken about his desire for the hearing to take place in public, while Yorkshire are also understood to favour a public hearing.

The ECB is believed to have been neutral on the subject until a preliminary hearing took place last month, where it also came out in support of the idea of holding it in public.

There is nothing in the CDC rules preventing a hearing taking place in public, but it is an unprecedented move to do so.

The ECB has declined to comment.

The only individual who has confirmed their involvement in the hearing is former Yorkshire captain and first-team coach Andrew Gale.

He issued a statement in July denying the allegations against him and stating that he would not engage with the disciplinary process, which he described as “tainted”.