Cricket: England dressing room routinely called non-white players 'Kevin', claims Azeem Rafiq

Former England opener Alex Hales has been singled out as someone who used the word 'Kevin' to refer to non-white players. Photo / Photosport

Azeem Rafiq has publicly accused ex-England stars Gary Ballance and Alex Hales of using the name "Kevin" in a racist way during his bombshell evidence to MPs.

Rafiq even said the routine calling of non-white people by that name had been an "open secret" within the dressing-room when Ballance was playing for his country between 2013 and 2017.

As revealed by Telegraph Sport, Rafiq accused Balance of calling non-white people "Kevin" as a derogatory term during the investigation into the Yorkshire racism scandal.

Former England opener Alex Hales has been singled out as someone who used the word 'Kevin' to refer to non-white players. Photo / Photosport

It is unknown why that particular name would have been used but there are striking similarities with India batsman Cheteshwar Pujara being called "Steve" while at the county because some could not pronounce his name. There have since been accusations the name "Steve" was also routinely used at Yorkshire for people of colour in a racist way.

Rafiq was asked by investigators whether he had misheard "Kevin" for "Kaffir", a known racist term in southern Africa. He said he had not but later recalled having also been called "Rafa the Kaffir" by Ballance and others. Ballance has denied calling Rafiq "Rafa the Kaffir" – the allegation was also not upheld by a panel – but has yet to dispute using the term "Kevin".

Telegraph Sport also disclosed allegations about how "Kevin" became linked with the name of another player's pet dog and Rafiq has now told MPs the player in question was former England opener Hales.

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Rafiq, who said the use of "Kevin" had been an "open secret" within the England dressing-room, claimed Hales named his dog Kevin in 2017 "because it was black", adding: "It's disgusting just how much of a joke it was." Telegraph Sport has approached a representative of Hales for comment.

Some of Ballance and Hales' ex-England team-mates are in the squad for this winter's Ashes or were at the Twenty20 World Cup in Dubai.

Tom Harrison, the England & Wales Cricket Board chief executive, told MPs its investigation into the Yorkshire racism scandal would include looking into whether "Kevin" had been used in an England setting. Asked whether he would want anyone to have used it to play for their country, he replied: "Of course not."