ECB recommends fine and ban for Ballance and others

Gary Ballance played 23 Tests for England and one for Zimbabwe

Former England batter Gary Ballance should be fined £8,000 and banned for eight weeks for using racist language at Yorkshire, according to the England and Wales Cricket Board.

The charges stemmed from claims made by former Yorkshire player Azeem Rafiq.

Ballance, who retired earlier this month, admitted the charge against him.

At a hearing in London on Wednesday, the ECB said Ballance's fine should be reduced from £12,500 and the suspension reduced from 10 weeks because he admitted guilt and apologised to Rafiq.

It said Ballance, 33, should also go on an education course and be reprimanded.

The ECB recommended a combination of fines, suspensions, reprimands and education courses for former England bowler Tim Bresnan, former Yorkshire captain and coach Andrew Gale and former Scotland bowler John Blain.

The sanction recommendations for former England bowler Matthew Hoggard and former Yorkshire all-rounder Richard Pyrah are expected later on Wednesday. All five withdrew from the process and did not appear before the independent CDC panel.

Former England captain Michael Vaughan was cleared "on the balance of probabilities" by the panel of using racist language towards Rafiq.

Yorkshire have accepted four amended charges and sanctions against the club will be discussed at a hearing in late June.

Ballance's lawyer Craig Harris said the financial penalty should be reduced because being involved in the proceedings led to the end Ballance's Yorkshire career, the loss of a sponsorship contract and him not being considered for England.

Ballance was released by Yorkshire at his request in December and switched to play for his native Zimbabwe, initially signing a two-year deal, before announcing his retirement four months later.

In 2020, he took a break from cricket to manage "some heightened feelings of anxiety and stress" and missed much of the 2022 season to focus on his mental health after admitting he was responsible for some of the allegations made by Rafiq.

ECB lawyer Jane Mulcahy KC said: "We understand there has been a significant impact on Mr Ballance's mental health."

Ballance did not take part in the proceedings in March after admitting his charge.

The ECB recommended Bresnan and Blain both be given a £5,000 fine, be reprimanded and attend an education course at their own expense, especially if they intend to return to cricket.

Bresnan, who denied all the allegations, was found to have used a racial slur towards Rafiq's sister and other Asian women. Allegations he used the terms "brothers" and "you lot" to specifically refer to Asian players were not proved.

Blain was found to have used a racist phrase to describe Asian individuals during his time as a Yorkshire coach, which he denied.

The ECB recommended Gale be given a £7,500 fine, a reprimand and a four-week suspension if he were to return to coaching ECB-regulated cricket. It also said he should do an education course at his own expense if he returned to cricket.

Gale was found to have used two racist slurs towards Rafiq throughout his time at the club, as well as using one of these racist terms towards Mosun Hussain, a Yorkshire academy player, in 2013. He denied the allegations.