Lv County Championship

Cook, who is England's all-time leading run scorer in Test cricket, signed an initial three-year deal with Essex following his international retirement in 2018.

Since then, the 36-year-old has played an integral role in the county's successive red-ball titles in 2019 and 2020, first the County Championship followed by the inaugural Bob Willis Trophy.

Cook registered 172 in the first innings in the latter success at Lord's to offer Essex an early lead against Somerset, ending the campaign as the leading run scorer in the competition with 563 runs at an average of 56.30.

But Essex endured a tough season the following campaign, failing to qualify for Division One of the County Championship, while it remained unclear whether Cook would renew terms.

Cook, however, has decided to continue playing for at least the next two years.

Upon signing his new contract, the opening batsman to Essex's in-house media: "I have really enjoyed my cricket here at Essex since my international retirement.

"We are lucky to have a fantastic dressing room and great coaching staff, led brilliantly by Anthony McGrath, and I'm looking forward to what is hopefully another successful couple of years."

The left-hander made 161 Test appearances, racking up 12,472 runs at an average of 45.35 as he holds records as not only England's most-capped red-ball captain (59) but also for the most centuries for his country in the longest format (33).

Rafiq suffered racial harassment and bullying while at Yorkshire, which was eventually brought to light and taken in front of a parliamentary select committee in November.

The former off-spinner also accused his former club and England of being institutionally racist, with several high-profile figures at the county either resigning or being dismissed over the handling of the allegations.

Kamlesh Patel is leading the change at Yorkshire after replacing former chairman Roger Hutton, while former England bowler Darren Gough has taken charge after the dismissal of director of cricket Martyn Moxon.

Ottis Gibson was appointed head coach on Wednesday as the replacement for the sacked Andrew Gale and Rafiq reiterated support for the club on the condition that he sees positive change.

He told Stats Perform: "I've said this a few times, from day one I've been clear with Lord Patel. If I see an acceptance and intention, and a will to move in a different direction and change.

"They're not going to get everything right, there's going to be missteps on the way. But as long as I see an intention to change, I will be the first one supporting it. 

"I've seen that from day one to be honest. There are a lot of positive things happening at the club and hopefully a lot more to come.

"If people apologise, then there should be a second chance and they should be allowed to change. It's really important that when we're asking individuals or institutions to change when they do try that we support them and not make it harder for them. 

"Look, the people that continue to deny that, that's up to them. But it's important that we just continue making sure that the cause is at the forefront of everything that we do. 

"I think I've come to accept that this could potentially be my life now."

Rafiq himself was found to have made offensive remarks after anti-Semitic messages he sent in 2011 resurfaced, an act he again apologised for.

"I don't know how I've coped," he added. "But I'm still here, still breathing, still fighting it. Look, there are a few things that have happened. 

"As I've said several times, and the anti-Semitic messages that surfaced from myself as a young lad are something that makes me really angry. 

"Something I'm really disappointed in myself about, and I've tried my best to apologise to the Jewish community and also trying to spend more time learning about their culture which I'll continue to do.

"But some of the other things that have happened and continue to happen behind the scenes have been outrageous, to be honest. 

"It's been difficult because it's got to the point where there have been concerns around my family's physical safety."

Despite his efforts to tell of the troubling experiences that he encountered, Rafiq believes cricket remains in denial of the racial issues within the sport.

"As the DCMS [Department for Culture, Media and Sport] report said, the fact that there was a need for a South Asian action plan just shows that the ECB and the game have been fully well aware of the issue," he continued. 

"There is an action plan from 1999, if I'm not wrong, which is readily available online, which shows that there has been an issue for a very long time. Everyone has been aware of it but not wanted to do anything about it.

"It just says everything that it needs to say. That it's taken someone to basically sacrifice their life, in a way, and their future, potentially, to bring this to the forefront. 

"The worrying thing for me is how little I still feel that the game has listened since the DCMS. I still feel like the game is in serious denial. 

"I have serious concerns that the game is going to try and look at some of the other issues that it has, [and] there's a lot of them, to try and forget about inclusivity and diversity."

The former England captain was this month named in a report investigating Rafiq's claims of institutional racism at Yorkshire.

Vaughan, who played for Yorkshire from 1993 to 2009 and led England to Ashes glory in 2005, allegedly said to a group of Asian team-mates there were "too many of you lot, we need to do something about it".

Rafiq's version of events have been supported by Adil Rashid and Rana Naved-ul-Hasan, but Vaughan has strongly denied the allegations made against him.

The BBC withdrew Vaughan from his Radio 5 Live show three weeks ago and the corporation has now confirmed the 47-year-old – who first joined their radio team as a summariser in 2009 – will not form part of their upcoming Ashes coverage.

"While he is involved in a significant story in cricket, for editorial reasons we do not believe that it would be appropriate for Michael Vaughan to have a role in our Ashes team or wider coverage of the sport at the moment," said a BBC statement.

"We require our contributors to talk about relevant topics and his involvement in the Yorkshire story represents a conflict of interest."

Vaughan is also contracted to commentate for Australia's Fox network for the five-Test series, which begins in Brisbane on December 8.

In a statement made earlier this month, Vaughan said: "I categorically deny saying the words attributed to me by Azeem Rafiq and want to restate this publicly because the 'you lot' comment simply never happened.

"It is extremely upsetting that this completely false accusation has been made against me by a former team-mate, apparently supported by two other players.

"I have been in contact with the six other players from that team and not one of them has any recollection of the remark being made."

The 47-year-old revealed on Thursday he has been named in a 100-page report looking into claims of institutional racism at Yorkshire made by Rafiq.

Vaughan, who played for Yorkshire from 1993 to 2009 and led England to Ashes glory in 2005, allegedly said to a group of Asian team-mates there were "too many of you lot, we need to do something about it".

Rafiq's version of events has been supported by fellow former Yorkshire player Rana Naved-ul-Hassan. 

Vaughan strongly denies the allegations, but the BBC has confirmed he will not appear on Monday's edition of the 'Tuffers and Vaughan' show on 5 Live alongside Phil Tufnell.

"The BBC takes any allegations of racism extremely seriously," a spokesperson said on Friday.

"We have made the editorial decision that Michael won't appear as a presenter on 5 Live's Tuffers and Vaughan Show on Monday.

"The show focuses on topical discussion around current cricketing matters. Given his personal involvement, we need to ensure we maintain the impartiality of the programme.

"We remain in discussion with Michael and his team."

Writing for The Telegraph on Thursday, Vaughan said: "The allegation came completely out of the blue and more than a decade after it was alleged to have happened made it all the more difficult to process.

"I completely and categorically deny that I ever said those words.

"I responded to the panel by saying I was gobsmacked and that my professional legal advice was that I could not appear before a panel having had just a few hours' notice of such serious claims made against me."

The England and Wales Cricket Board (ECB) on Thursday suspended Yorkshire from hosting international and major matches in response to the club's "wholly unacceptable" handling of Rafiq's racism allegations of institutional racism at the club.

Roger Hutton subsequently resigned as Yorkshire chairman on Friday, stating the club should have recognised at the time the serious allegations.

Gary Ballance has also been indefinitely suspended from international selection after the ex-England batsman admitted he was responsible for some of the offensive and inappropriate language Rafiq was subjected to.

Rafiq and Hutton are due to appear in front of the Department for Culture, Media and Sport's select committee to give evidence on November 16.

Publishing company Emerald and kit manufacturers Nike are among the sponsors Yorkshire have lost due to their handling of the Rafiq case.

Former England captain Vaughan was this month named in a report investigating Rafiq's claims of institutional racism at the county club.

The 47-year-old, who played for Yorkshire from 1993 to 2009 and led England to Ashes glory in 2005, allegedly said to a group of Asian team-mates there were "too many of you lot, we need to do something about it".

Rafiq's version of events have been supported by Adil Rashid and Rana Naved-ul-Hasan.

Vaughan, who was stood down from the BBC's coverage of the Ashes in wake of the allegations, has again denied the accusations made against him.

"I'm sorry for the hurt [Rafiq's] gone through," he told the BBC. "Time, I don't think, can ever be a healer in the situation that he's gone through.

"But hopefully time can be a way of us making sure that Yorkshire County Cricket Club never goes through this situation again and never puts themselves in a position of denial that they treated a player so badly."

He added: "It hurts deeply, hurts me that a player has gone through so much and be treated so badly at the club I love.

"I have to take some responsibility for that because I played for Yorkshire County Cricket Club for 18 years and if in any way shape or form I'm responsible for any of his hurt, I apologise for that."

Asked if he made any racist comments during his time at Yorkshire, Vaughan said: "No I didn't. No."

However, Vaughan, whose playing career spanned 18 years and saw him represent England for a decade, accepts there were many things he heard in dressing rooms that he "would not even consider to be acceptable now".

He added: "I would say any sportsperson that's out there from that era that says otherwise, I don't think they're telling the truth. There were things said and back in the day, it wasn't deemed to be offensive. It would be now.

"I can apologise if I was involved in any way, shape or form with a dressing room that had a culture that wasn't inclusive for everyone.

"My recollections are all the dressing rooms that I played in that we were inclusive to everyone. But I'm more than happy for people to come forward and say, 'you know what that wasn't the case'."

A 100-page independent report in early November upheld that Rafiq had been victim of "racial harassment and bullying" during his time at Yorkshire.

Former chairman Roger Hutton resigned with immediate effect over Yorkshire's response to the investigation, with new chair Kamlesh Patel tasked with changing the culture at the club.

Chief executive Mark Arthur resigned from his position last month, before Gale was suspended pending investigation over a historical tweet, while Moxon took sick leave due to stress.

Yorkshire announced on Friday that Moxon and Gale have left the club, in addition to all members of the coaching staff and the backroom medical team.

A new director of cricket is the immediate priority, according to Patel, who is also recruiting an entire new coaching team for the upcoming season.

"Significant change is required at Yorkshire County Cricket Club and we are committed to taking whatever action is necessary to regain trust," Patel said in a statement on the county's official website.

"The decisions announced today were difficult to make but are in the best interests of the club. Without making important changes to how we are run, we cannot move on from the past to become a culture which is progressive and inclusive.

"We want to make Yorkshire County Cricket Club a place for everyone, from all backgrounds. To do this, we need to rebuild our culture and instil positive values in everyone associated with Yorkshire. 

"We are determined to learn from the mistakes of the past to become a club which people can trust.

"We are hoping to announce a new director of cricket in the coming days. We have a huge rebuilding job to do but we are confident that this heralds a step forward towards a brighter future."

Star all-rounder Stokes was named as Joe Root's successor at the end of April, and has been charged with turning around England's fortunes – the red-ball national side winning just one of their last 17 Tests.

Opting to spend some time in the middle before England host New Zealand in a three-Test series, which starts on June 2 at Lord's, Stokes found his form in remarkable fashion on Friday.

Stokes joined David Bedingham at the crease at New Road after Scott Borthwick was trapped in front by Ben Gibbon, and blasted through a shell-shocked Worcestershire attack to reach his century before lunch.

The 30-year-old targeted young off-spinner Josh Baker, launching five sixes in his 20th over to reach a 64-ball ton before narrowly missing out on a sixth straight maximum with a one-bounce boundary.

While Stokes fell short of Garfield Sobers' elusive six maximums in an over, he posted the fastest first-class century in Durham's history, surpassing England interim coach Paul Collingwood's record (75 balls).

Stokes returned for the afternoon session by clearing the ropes for a 17th time to achieve a County Championship record, while only four players have hit more sixes in any first-class innings.

However, the England skipper then miscued a Brett D'Oliveira delivery to be caught on the boundary by Jack Haynes as his magnificent 161 from just 88 balls came to an end.

Durham declared on 580-6 soon after following Bedingham being dismissed for 135.

The former Yorkshire cricketer, who this week made an emotional appearance in front of a parliamentary select committee amid claims of institutionalised racism in English cricket, posted an apology on Twitter on Thursday in the wake of his own offensive remarks circulating on social media.

The 30-year-old confirmed the messages, which were part of an exchange with another cricketer, were written by him but insisted "I am a different person today", having posted them at the age of 19.

"I was sent an image of this exchange from early 2011 today," said Rafiq. "I have gone back to check my account and it is me – I have absolutely no excuses.

"I am ashamed of this exchange and have deleted it so as not to cause further offence. I was 19 at the time and I hope and believe I am a different person today."

In the note, posted on his Twitter account, Rafiq added: "I am incredibly angry at myself and I apologise to the Jewish community and everyone who is rightly offended by this."

Rafiq was found to have suffered racial harassment and bullying while at Yorkshire.

The ex-spinner was found to have been racially harassed during his time at the club following an investigation in the wake of his own allegations in 2020, with several key figures subsequently resigning.

Yet he has been dogged by claims of his own misconduct, and was reprimanded earlier this month for historic social media posts, to which he offered an unreserved apology.

Fresh claims from the Daily Mail have now levelled allegations of further anti-semitism and homophobia, alongside reportedly fat-shaming children, which he strongly denied.

"These allegations are categorically untrue," he stated. "I knew as a whistleblower I would come under attack.

"What I did not expect was a never-ending, co-ordinated campaign of lies, which has caused serious risk to me and my family's safety.

"I have been vindicated over and over again, and will not be intimidated by those who seek to silence me."

Rafiq indicated this month he would move abroad over fears for his family's safety following his decision to speak out, having been subjected to further abuse and intimidation.

Roach, 34, is returning to the club for a third season after successful spells in 2021 and in the title-winning 2022 season.

In his time at Surrey so far, he has taken 47 wickets at 23.57, including best figures of 8 for 40 against Hampshire in 2021.

Twenty-five of Roach's wickets came in seven matches in last year's Championship triumph, including a second-innings five-for against Warwickshire at the Kia Oval in July, to set up a six-wicket victory.

Roach - who last year became the sixth West Indian to reach 250 Test wickets - will join up with the squad ahead of Surrey's first fixture, away at Emirates Old Trafford against Lancashire, and his first game back at The Oval will be against Hampshire (13-16 April).

Roach will then be available for the trips to Edgbaston and Chelmsford before finishing his spell with two home derbies against Middlesex (11-14 May) and Kent (18-21 May).

"I really enjoy playing for Surrey and winning the title last year was incredible to be a part of," Roach said.

"It's such a talented and exciting group of players and I can't wait to get back out on the pitch representing the club."

Gareth Batty, Head Coach at Surrey, added: "We're looking forward to welcoming Kemar back to Surrey. He brings great ability and work ethic, and his experience plays an important role in the dressing room.

"Kemar has already shown what he can do in his time at the club so far and we're excited to have him joining us again this year."

Amla scored 9,282 runs during a 15-year Test career with South Africa, second only to Jacques Kallis' remarkable tally of 13,206 in the longest format.

That return included 28 Test hundreds for the Proteas, while Amla also posted the country's first triple-century with his 311 not out against England at the Oval in 2012. 

As well as his efforts in Test cricket, Amla scored a further 8,113 runs – including 27 centuries – in 181 ODIs and 1,277 runs in 44 T20Is. 

Having retired from international cricket in August 2019, Amla wrapped up his career in the domestic game by helping Surrey win the County Championship in 2022.

"I have great memories of the Oval ground and to finally leave it as a player fills me with immense gratitude for what has been," Amla told Surrey's website.

"A sincere thank you to [Surrey director of cricket] Alec Stewart and the entire Surrey staff, players and members for their support."

Stewart added: "Everyone at Surrey County Cricket Club will be sad to see Hashim retire, but we all applaud what has been a phenomenal career. He will quite rightly go down as a great of the game."

Rafiq suffered racial harassment and bullying while at Yorkshire, which was eventually brought to light and taken in front of a parliamentary select committee in November.

The former off-spinner also accused Yorkshire and English cricket of being institutionally racist, with several high-profile figures at the county either resigning or being dismissed over the handling of the allegations.

Kamlesh Patel replaced previous chairman Roger Hutton, former England bowler Darren Gough was named director of cricket after the dismissal of Martyn Moxon, and Ottis Gibson was appointed head coach in January as the replacement for the sacked Andrew Gale.

The ECB began an investigation into the allegations and provided an update on Wednesday, saying the club and individuals had been charged.

"Yorkshire County Cricket Club and a number of individuals have today been charged following an ECB investigation into racism and other allegations at the club and its handling of those allegations," the statement read.

"The charges arise from alleged breaches of ECB Directive 3.3 (conduct which is improper or which may be prejudicial to the interests of cricket or which may bring the ECB, the game of cricket or any cricketer into disrepute) and the ECB Anti-Discrimination Code. 

"An independent panel of the Cricket Discipline Commission will hear the cases in due course.

"The ECB's investigation has been thorough and complex, with the allegations covering a significant period of time and a number of witnesses and other individuals coming forward to share their own experiences and allegations. The ECB is grateful to all those who have taken the time to speak with the investigating team.

"In matters of this nature, our normal practice is not to identify individuals charged at this stage. This decision is taken on a case-by-case basis. It is, however, standard practice for the CDC disciplinary panel to publish its decisions and written reasons in full following the hearing.

"There will be no further comment until the hearing has taken place and the decisions published. We currently expect the hearing to take place in September or October 2022."

The 52-year-old takes charge following the departure of Andrew Gale and the rest of the coaching staff late last year, which came after an investigation into claims made by Azeem Rafiq.

"I'm extremely honoured and excited to be given the opportunity to join Yorkshire County Cricket Club as head coach," he said.

"This is one of the most prestigious roles in English County Cricket, and I am really looking forward to working with this talented group of players to take the club forward. I've spoken at length with Goughy [Darren Gough] about the direction the club is heading in and I'm excited to be a part of that future."

A 100-page independent report in early November upheld allegations by Rafiq that he had been the victim of "racial harassment and bullying" during his time at Yorkshire.

Former chairman Roger Hutton resigned with immediate effect over the club's handling of the investigation, with Kamlesh Patel stepping into the role.

Chief executive Mark Arthur then followed Hutton in resigning, while Yorkshire later announced that they were parting ways with their entire coaching and medical team, including first-team coach Andrew Gale and director of cricket Martyn Moxon.

Former England bowler Gough was appointed as interim managing director and tasked with appointing new coaching staff as a priority.

Gibson, who will take charge from the end of February, was in charge of the West Indies side that won the T20 World Cup in 2012, having also served as South Africa head coach and bowling coach for England and Bangladesh.

An experienced county cricket player who also appeared in two Tests and 15 ODIs for the West Indies, Gibson also worked with England during two Ashes series wins.

He will join up with Yorkshire once his deal with the Multan Sultans in the Pakistan Super League expires next month.

Patel said he hoped the appointment of Gibson would "encourage dialogue and help foster a culture of inclusion at the club, as well as supporting and developing the world-class talent we have here and pushing them to the next level".

"His playing and coaching credentials speak for themselves and he has had a distinguished career performing at the highest level," he said.

"Ottis' character and his commitment to buying into the process that we are going through at Yorkshire County Cricket Club shone through in our discussions."

Gough said: "Ottis is one of the best coaches in the world and will be a fantastic addition. His knowledge, commitment, experience and cricket know-how will be vital for us as we move into pre-season and get ourselves up and running.

"We were absolutely blown away by the level of interest and quality of candidates for this role, but I have no doubt that he's the best person for the job and will pick up the challenge with relish."

Ex-England batsman Ballance on Wednesday released a statement admitting he was responsible for some of the offensive and inappropriate language Rafiq was subjected to during his time at Headingley.

Ballance, 31, said he deeply regrets some of the language he used in his younger years, describing Rafiq as his "best mate in cricket".

The Zimbabwe-born former Yorkshire captain claimed he and Rafiq had "said offensive things to each other which, outside of that context, would be considered wholly inappropriate".

An independent report into Rafiq's allegations of institutional racism at Yorkshire County Cricket Club upheld that the spinner had been victim of "racial harassment and bullying”.

It also emerged the independent panel had deemed repeated use of the "P***" word against Rafiq was "in the spirit of friendly banter", according to ESPNcricinfo.

Rafiq on Thursday responded to Ballance's statement by posting on Twitter: "I'm not intending to say very much until the [Department for Culture, Media and Sport's] select committee hearing later this month. However, I wanted to stress this is not really about the words of certain individuals.

"This is about institutional racism and abject failures to act by numerous leaders at Yorkshire County Cricket Club and in the wider game. The sport I love and my club desperately need reform and cultural change."

Rafiq and Yorkshire chairman Roger Hutton are due to appear in front of the Department for Culture, Media and Sport's select committee to give evidence on November 16.

Publishing company Emerald has been among the sponsors Yorkshire have lost due to their handling of the Rafiq case.

Gale, who in 2014 led Yorkshire to County Championship success as captain, is reported to have used an anti-Semitic slur in a Twitter conversation.

Jewish News, who brought the comment to light, published a response from Gale in which he insisted he deleted the post as soon as he was informed of its offensive nature, with the 37-year-old concluding the publication had been sent a screenshot that "that someone took at the time and waited 11 years to release".

Yorkshire has told him to stay away from the team pending an investigation.

"We can confirm that Andrew Gale, Yorkshire First XI Coach, is currently suspended pending a disciplinary hearing following an historic tweet," read a statement.

"The club will make a further statement once this process has been completed."

Additionally, Moxon has been given time off work due to a stress-related problem.

He is set to appear at the Department of Digital, Culture, Media and Sport (DCMS) select committee hearing on November 16 following Yorkshire's handling of Azeem Rafiq's allegations of institutional racism during his time at the club.

An independent report into Rafiq's complaints upheld that the spinner had been a victim of "racial harassment and bullying".

The county side were punished, with the England and Wales Cricket Board (ECB) suspending Yorkshire from hosting international and major matches indefinitely, while sponsors such as Emerald and Nike have withdrawn from agreements.