An internal investigation has now concluded in relation to historic social media posts made by Khizar Ali, a Cricket Scotland Board member.
Cricket Scotland conducted this investigation in line with its Code of Ethics Policy (2021), resulting in a detailed report submitted to the Chair of the Board for consideration.
The report noted that the investigation was primarily focused on fact finding and reporting further to the Code of Ethics Policy, which applies to Mr Ali as a Board member. The social media posts were historic and posted at a time when Mr Ali was not a Board member. Separately, there was no obvious or clear connection between the posts and specific Cricket Scotland activities and there were no appropriate rules published by the governing body at the time when the posts were made to bring about a separate Conduct in Sport investigation.
Consistent with the actions taken with certain respondents involved in the recent independent investigative process which followed the Changing the Boundaries report, and in the absence of clear jurisdiction, appropriate policies, procedures, or ability to impose sanctions, the report concluded that Cricket Scotland did not have a basis to make a formal judgement in relation to the conduct of Mr Ali in making these social media posts.
The report was acted on by the Chair, in a way consistent with the Code of Ethics Policy, involving the Chair formally meeting with Mr Ali and reporting to the Board.
The investigation made several recommendations to the Chair for improvement, regarding professional standards, fiduciary duties, and accountabilities of Board Directors. These recommendations have been fully accepted by Mr Ali, and Cricket Scotland will progress the organisational learning for the benefit of cricket in Scotland.
Khizar Ali said:
“I fully acknowledge the distress and impact that my historic social media posts will have caused to many, in particular those that have experience of the trauma of racism.
“To anyone who may have been impacted by these messages, I unreservedly apologise.”
Wilf Walsh, Cricket Scotland Chair, said:
“Mr Ali deeply regrets these messages and is remorseful for the upset that they have caused, particularly considering recent events and the subsequent learnings for the governing body during the last two years.
“This has been another very difficult episode for our sport, as we seek to unite the cricket community and move Scottish cricket forward in a sustainable manner.
“It is important that we, as a Board, use this experience to further enhance our understanding of how we manage and oversee this great sport. Cricket Scotland remains committed to tackling discrimination within cricket and to ensuring that our sport is welcoming and inclusive.”
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Name of Author: Cricket Scotland
Cricket Scotland, formerly the Scottish Cricket Union, is the governing body for cricket in Scotland, based at the National Cricket Academy in Edinburgh. Established in 1908 and restructured in 2001, it became an ICC Associate Member in 1994. The organization includes three sub-associations: the East of Scotland Cricket Association, Western District Cricket Union, and Aberdeenshire Cricket Association.
