I heard Michael Vaughan making racist comments – Adil Rashid 

The racism controversy at Yorkshire is not dying and England spinner Adil Rashid has confirmed that he heard the former skipper Michael Vaughan question the number of players of Asian heritage in 2009.

Rashid is ready to participate in an official investigation aimed at eradicating racism from cricket.

“Racism is cancer in all walks of life and unfortunately in professional sports too, and is something which of course has to be stamped out. I wanted to concentrate as much as possible on my cricket and to avoid distractions to the detriment of the team but I can confirm Azeem Rafiq’s recollection of Michael Vaughan’s comments to a group of us Asian players,” ESPNcricinfo quoted Rashid as saying.

“I’m encouraged by the fact that a Parliamentary Committee seems to be trying to improve the situation, whether that’s holding people accountable or getting changes made at an institutional level. These can only be positive developments. I will of course be more than happy to support any official efforts when the time is right. For now, though, these matters are of an intensely personal nature and I will not be commenting on them further. I ask you to respect my privacy and allow me to focus on my cricket,” he added.

Earlier, Vaughan had denied Azeem Rafiq’s allegation that he made racist comments in 2009.