Incident took place during club match in which former Scotland spinner was umpiring
ESPNcricinfo staff14-Aug-2023A man has been arrested and charged in connection with racial abuse after Majid Haq, the former Scotland spinner, described being called a “cheating P***” while umpiring in a club match in Greenock.Haq’s international career ended in 2015 after he made allegations about discrimination and his testimony was one of the catalysts for last year’s “Changing the Boundaries” report into racism in Scottish cricket.”I appreciate the word is already out about the incident at Greenock on 12 August,” Haq said in a statement. “There is already far too much misinformation out on social media, particularly regarding racism issues in cricket, and therefore I felt it important to put this out.Related
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“After making a decision as standing umpire, I was called a f*** cheating p***. When I challenged the person, they persisted it was a factual term and continued to confront me. It was incredibly upsetting, not just for me but also for the numerous players of Pakistani descent in earshot.”The individual has been charged by Police Scotland, and I therefore intend to say no more about the incident itself.”Haq said that he had tried to rebuild his relationship with the game by going into umpiring but added that “12 months on from the [Changing the Boundaries] report, I have been subject to scrutiny and abuse beyond anything that could be considered reasonable”.”I really, really hope that this latest incident might be the wake up call our sport needs to confront the ugly truth. Our sport has a problem, and it’s systemic. Our sport needs to change, to make it inclusive and safe for others that might come after those who have spoken up.”