Michael Vaughan will once again be the face of the BBC’s cricket coverage after signing a new two-year contract with the broadcaster.
Vaughan was dropped by the BBC 18 months ago after being accused of making racist remarks while playing for Yorkshire in 2009. Azeem Rafiq alleged that the former England Test captain said "there's too many of you lot, we need to do something about that" to three Asian players.
The 48-year-old was cleared by a Cricket Discipline Commission panel earlier this year. The allegation was not proven after the commission highlighted “significant inconsistencies” in evidence from two key witnesses – Rafiq and Adil Rashid – regarding the exact wording of Vaughan’s alleged comment.
Vaughan is now free to return to work with the BBC and the Daily Mail reports he has signed a two-year deal with the corporation. He will make his return as a pundit on the Today at the Test highlights programme for England’s Test against Ireland, which starts on June 1, before working as a summariser on Test Match Special throughout the summer.
He will cover England’s defence of the 50-over World Cup in India later this year, as well as next summer’s home Test series against West Indies and Sri Lanka.
Talks regarding Vaughan’s future at the BBC reportedly involved director general Tim Davie, who came under fire earlier this year during the Gary Lineker saga. The BBC refused to comment when contacted by Mirror Sport.
Vaughan is yet to comment on the news, but retweeted the BBC’s article about his return. Speaking after he was cleared of the racism allegations in March, he said: “The dismissal of the specific charge that concerned me takes nothing away from Azeem’s own lived experiences.
“It has been both difficult and upsetting to hear about the painful experiences which Azeem has described over the past three years. The outcome of these CDC proceedings must not be allowed to detract from the core message that there can be no place for racism in the game of cricket, or in society generally.”
He later opened up about being cleared to the Telegraph, saying: “I just burst out crying. It was just the pure relief when your lawyer says you’re cleared.
“When your wife is having to take beta blockers for 16 months and you wake up in the middle of the night and she is crying her eyes out it is so hard. Anyone with kids knows they don’t give much away, but I know how hard it has been for them and the children of all those involved.
“There are people who wanted to see the back of me in cricket. It was only around 11am today when I had the radio on I realised how big news it was. Then it hit me. I thought, ‘Oh no, what if it had gone the other way?’ I would have been done.”
