‘Banter is not acceptable’ - ECB chief Richard Gould establishes new norms following Yorkshire scandal

The newly appointed chief executive of the England and Wales Cricket Board (ECB), Richard Gould, recently came forward to establish a set of new rules following recent cases, particularly the Yorkshire racism case involving Azeem Rafiq, Michael Vaughan, and many more.

In the newly established rules, it is stated that banter will no longer be tolerated within the dressing room. Even the word ‘banter’ will be treated as a swear word. He also made it clear that the teams will have to reassess their cultures to determine what kind of behaviour is acceptable and what is not.

Gould also opined that the Yorkshire racism case and many more similar cases span several decades. He also reflected on the fact that the ECB strives to better itself with each passing year, and the Yorkshire case was neither an issue of Yorkshire cricket nor an issue of cricket as a whole either.

"We have seen within dressing rooms that banter used to be a word that you could use. But banter is a swear word now. Banter is not acceptable," Richard Gould was quoted as saying by the Guardian.

Dressing-room banter will need to be softened: Andrew Strauss

In February 2023, the former ECB director of cricket, Andrew Strauss, came forward to talk about the same issue. He reflected on the fact that players of different nationalities and genders will be sharing the dressing room more than ever, and the dressing room norms need to be managed with respect to the changing atmosphere.

"As we move forward together as a game with players of different genders, races, creeds, and beliefs coming together, so the traditional macho, hierarchical, perhaps at times verging on bullying dressing-room banter will need to be softened to a culture that is more tolerant, understanding, welcoming, and embracing of difference," Strauss had said during his Marylebone Cricket Club Cowdrey Lecture at Lord’s.