Cricket player Qasim Sheikh felt his place on World Cup squad was ‘tokenistic’

A former Scotland international cricket player has told how his selection for World Cup qualifiers was “tokenistic” and he felt he was used as nothing more than a water boy.

Qasim Sheikh told of his ordeal during his time in the sport following the report which said Cricket Scotland must be placed in special measures after 448 examples of institutional racism were revealed.

Mr Sheikh, 37, told a press conference in Stirling on Monday he first suffered racism within the sport when he was just 15 years old, and how “racism just seems to get brushed under the carpet”.

“Playing for the national team was everything I dreamed of however I don’t feel I was treated equally,” he said, and added how he was referred to as “you lot” because of his race.

“I went to Pakistan to play domestic first class cricket and I was the first British-born player to score 100 in Pakitsani first class cricket. This saw me get selected for the World Cup qualifiers playing for Scotland, a moment I was really proud of, but what it turned out to be was tokenistic to me,” he said.

“I carried drinks for the whole tour. It became a running joke among players and I felt humiliated and I felt I was treated as a personal servant at times, even criticised how I would make certain player’s drinks.”

When he was not being selected he raised it within the team, but was then was told “you should count yourself lucky you are here”, something he never heard being said to a white counterpart.

His ordeal continued, and despite scoring back-to-back hundreds he was dropped within six months for a white player and did not play in the game he helped Scotland qualify for.

“It broke my heart that I didn’t play in the final. I gave my all to play for my country,” he said.

“Little did I know at 25 I would never play again for my country. I tried to discuss this with senior staff members but was ignored.

“But I also reached out to certain players who I thought were friends of mine, to get no response.”

He took to the press to raise his concern, but said from that day forward he was treated as the “bad guy of Scottish cricket”.

He wanted to get back into the sport he loved at its top flight, and was told to apologise through a selected journalist.

“I did it. I did it willingly after it was requested of me because I was desperate to play for my country again,” he told the press conference.

The story was headlined “Sheikh eats humble pie”, and he said he felt humiliated but, despite this, would get back into the national side.

But he never did.

“I don’t want to see this happen to anymore of the current generation or future generations coming through,” said the ex-international, who appeared 27 times for Scotland.

“It’s time for change and it’s time for change now. Not tomorrow, not in a few months time, I keep hearing its going to take time, its going to take time and racism always seems to be at the back of the line.

“I want to see it be at the front now, as has been highlighted by the review. Cricket Scotland has been found to be institutionally racist so I think its time now for change.”

His counterpart Majid Haq also told of the racism he suffered while in Scottish cricket.

The 39-year-old was sent home from the 2015 Cricket World Cup after he tweeted that it was “always tougher when you’re in the minority” which he told the press conference was a “factually correct” tweet.

He compared it with treatment of other, white, players who had been sacked from the national squad while on tour but Cricket Scotland soon made a U-turn and brought them back.

Mr Haq, who never played for Scotland again after being sent home, said: “I was made to say sorry and go public saying sorry when I didn’t commit a crime.”

He told the press conference how, because of his race, he had to “play twice as well as a white player to stand chance” and his treatment not only upset him but his friends and family.

One example of racism among Cricket Scotland, he said, was when the vehicle he was in crashed. He was humiliated, with a coach holding up a picture of a street in Pakistan full of traffic and being told he should have experience of driving.

This was despite him being Scottish.

Both players did not receive a personal apology from Cricket Scotland.

Aamer Anwar, the solicitor for the pair, described the Plan4Sport report as the “most devastating verdict to be delivered on any sporting institution in the United Kingdom”.

He called for a meeting with the Scottish Government and the current Scotland players as to why they had not spoken up in favour of his clients.

He added: “The board’s resignations are welcome, but that is the barest minimum.

“Cricket Scotland took the cowardly option of resigning 24 hours before publication, meaning there is nobody to answer for their failure of leadership, institutional racism and abuse of the values of integrity, fairness and equality.”