John Blain: Cricket racism claims wrecked my life

John Blain fights to control his emotions as he recalls the message he received on his mobile that day in April 2023. Allegations of racism, he learnt, had been made against him by two Scottish cricketers of Pakistani heritage. He had been accused of insulting them by using “the P word”. With that his reputation as one of Scotland’s leading sportsmen was effectively over. Within weeks he had lost his job as a BBC commentator.

His training sessions with young cricketers at an independent school, and his work at an adult care centre, came to an abrupt end. His great days as a fast medium bowler playing for Yorkshire and Scotland — the 118 matches he played for his country and the ten wickets he