Devon Malcolm is currently the District Cricket Referee. Photo: Telegraph/David Rose
Devon Malcolm acknowledges many of the findings of the report on racism in cricket because they reflect some of the experiences he has had in his lifetime in the sport.
Malcolm, perhaps , is the most famous and recognizable Afro-Caribbean cricketer ever to play for England, a fact that he recently gained his freedom in London, although his international career ended for more than two decades.
< p>This fact alone confirms the commission's view that sport has left the black community behind. Why was Devon Malcolm no longer produced under the 18-county system? The reasons are many and varied, but Malcolm came as no surprise, who, in a more than an hour-long interview with Telegraph Sport, reveals how his father, Albert, felt “intimidated” watching him play for England, how he himself was subjected to racist abuse for his back from an ECB official just last year, and that he rarely, if ever, sees another black youth playing cricket when he watches his son Jayden play for the Northants academy. These are three generations of the same family, telling different stories about discrimination and inequality, but united by the love of sports.
Malcolm contributed to the long-awaited report of the Independent Cricket Fairness Commission released on Tuesday. He points to the cost of tuition and preparatory programs that favor public schools, socioeconomic barriers that prevent some from progressing in the game, and a general feeling that sports are not welcome in the black community.
Lack of representation at the level Board of directors and in leadership positions is also a problem, he believes, which is why his own ambitions to become a judge were blocked more than a decade ago. It wasn't until the Black Lives Matter movement gained momentum that Malcolm was offered his current job as an umpire at the county cricket match.
“It was a closed door. I tried, but the door was locked. Others did not go through the door. The last black referee on the top-notch list when I applied was John Holder 30+ years ago. This is madness. The authorities could not see the inconsistencies. They are doing now. But we had to fight. Fairness is right.”
Malcolm believes that making cricket more accessible will help make the sport accessible to the minority community Credit: Telegraph/David Rose
The game has changed a lot since he was spotted playing in Sheffield Caribbean park in the early 1980s and he believes it is harder for a youngster like him to become a cricketer now than it was 40 years ago, although the racism back then was widespread. in society. The report states that there were only 12 players in the professional game in 2021 who were black British cricketers. In 1992, when Malcolm was in the England team, there were 26, which was 7.3% of the total number of players. Three years later, in 1995, Malcolm and Phil Defreitas sued the cricket magazine Wisden when it published an article questioning the commitment of foreign-born players. “Racism is not exaggerated when you look back over the years,” he says. “Words that are often used are “unconscious bias”. If that's a softer way of saying it, rather than using big words that we need to use, then fine, but let's move on and make recommendations.”
Malcolm remembers rummaging through the 'general bag' in the locker room The Sheffield Caribbean looking for a bat or a rubber when there was no pressure on my father to buy him the latest equipment. Solving the socio-economic problem of cricket will go a long way towards bridging the gap with the communities it left behind.
“Cost is an important factor. Cricket is now a very expensive game. It is considered an elite sport. When I played cricket as a child, I shared a bag for equipment,” says Malcolm, speaking before the release of the ICEC report. “Now parents think their kids need their own rackets and equipment bags, but not everyone can afford it. I notice that if their parents can't offer new bats every season, the child feels left out and doesn't want to play. Young people have pride and do not want to be left out.”
Malcolm on the balcony while playing for England Credit: Shutterstock/Mail on Sunday played.”
His father emigrated to the UK in 1965 to work as an engineer at the Batchelor food factory in Sheffield. Malcolm's mother died young and he grew up in Kingston, Jamaica with his grandparents before joining his father in that country at the age of 15.
“The West Indies was a source of great pride for my father. Although at work, racist statements were then every day. They called it banter. Despite the problems he had at work with people saying things, when there was a test match between England and the West Indies, it was the only time he had a voice at work. He entered with his head held high because the West Indies were beating England. It would make life easier for a few days. Malcolm himself faced similar problems.
Malcolm hopes the ICEC report is not “buried” and is confident that change is coming, but cricket has a real problem in reaching out to society and opening its doors. He organized an Afro-Caribbean engagement day at the Northamptonshire County Stadium on 13 August. The women's match will be followed by games between the ACE Academy, a foundation set up by Surrey to get black youth involved in the game, and the Antigua under-18 team. . This will be followed by an exhibition match between the teams, organized by old colleagues of Malcolm from England, David Lawrence and Norman Cowens. For his 75th birthday, an exhibition of the history of Windrush will be opened. “We need to educate the youth,” he says.
But first of all, he wants to prove that cricket fields are a place for everyone. “I just want the community to ask themselves, why don't they go to cricket matches? The weather is fine and warm, so why not take the kids to a game of cricket and watch a few games in Northampton? Take my dad. I don't think he ever went to a first-class game before I played, and he was even afraid to watch me play just by walking into the area.
“My son Jaden has been working in the county since he was nine years old. Over the years I have taken it everywhere and I have never seen more black or mixed kids play at this level. Wow. The closet can't be that bare. Don't tell me the Afro-Caribbean community doesn't like cricket. It's in our DNA, so why did it disappear? Do we feel welcome? Why do young people and many guys who played in their youth, like me, not go to matches? Is it because all is not well in the West Indies anymore? No. This is an easy excuse for the authorities. Not everyone who plays cricket can turn pro, but you just need to see a lot more black kids getting involved in the game. What I do know is that cricket as a team sport opens doors to life.”
The authors of the discrimination report that shook cricket
Malcolm himself was an unwitting participant in an incident of racism last summer when referee manager Chris Kelly joked in a meeting that he couldn't see Malcolm until he smiled. He was removed from office and later left the governing body.
Malcolm was not at the meeting, and he believes that the fact that Kelly was disciplined shows how times have changed. “When they called me from the ECB and said that this happened, I did not know. I was not there. But people won't sit back and listen to people use language or say something out of context, sit back and do nothing. People called it and it was reported. Great. Even in my early years this would never have happened. They all sat down, laughed, drank a few more pints and forgot about it. Now you watch your tongue and can't say anything because of the color of my skin. People now believe in equality and accept that you shouldn't be treated that way because of your race. It was great to see how it happened. Progress has been made.
“People called it a joke in those days, but that doesn't mean it didn't hurt. A reference to your race, “back in the trees” and all that stuff. You can drag and drop what has been done in the past. Yes, you remember what's in your head, but I can't help what happened to me. I use some negative things as positive ones. This is the best way to see life. The other guys say, “Dev, you are stupid. Why turn the other cheek?” but what was, is gone. We are talking about present and future generations.”
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