Cricket Scotland probe as board member apologises over ‘P’ word

Cricket Scotland has launched a formal investigation after a member of its board apologised for historical tweets where he used the “P” word in reference to Pakistanis.

Khizar Ali joined the governing body’s board as a regional representative in May 2023.

The tweets, which date back to 2012, also appear to include language derogatory to Indians.

Cricket Scotland has said it is committed to tackling all forms of discrimination.

In a statement released via social media, Mr Ali said he initially believed his use of the P word was a way of “reclaiming it” from people who used it as a racial slur against him and people from his community.

But he said he now recognised it was the wrong thing to do.

He said: “There were recent screenshots shared of historic tweets from 2012 where I used the P word.

“The reading of the word in full for some within the South Asian and cricketing communities will invoke and trigger upset.

“To anyone who has to read that and it caused upset, I want to extend my sincere apologies to you.”

Mr Ali added: “There are also various other tweets which are being shared out of context of the conversation they sit within, and I am willing to commit to any discussions directly with anyone who has any concerns on these, as I have already with a number of colleagues.”

The board of Cricket Scotland was completely changed last year after an independent investigation found the governance the game in Scotland to be institutionally racist.

The review highlighted 448 examples that demonstrated institutional racism.

Confirming it was investigating Mr Ali’s tweets, a Cricket Scotland spokesperson said the board was committed to “ensuring that our sport is safe, welcoming, inclusive, and open to all”.

It added that it was “determined to adopt a zero-tolerance approach to racism, sexism, and all forms of unacceptable behaviour”.

Mr Ali was also involved with the campaign group, Running out Racism, who have called for an urgent investigation.

A spokesperson for the group said: “We have been made aware of the historic tweets circulating in relation to Cricket Scotland board member and WDCU (Western District Cricket Union) chair Khizar Ali, from 2012 which include comments regarding various racialised communities.

“This includes racially offensive terms, such as the P word on numerous occasions.

“Running Out Racism members are surprised, dismayed and feel incredibly let down that someone we’ve a huge amount of respect for would use such words, in any context, at any point in history.

“This has caused upset and anger with some we support and represent, it is difficult at this stage to work beyond how people feel in the immediate term.

“However we do acknowledge Khizar’s willingness to proactively own this, and appreciate the conversations he’s engaged in directly with us and many others regarding these messages. “