Essex captain Tom Westley has publicly apologised on behalf of the team after a Muslim player was sprayed with beer.
Batsman Feroze Khushi had beer poured over him on the balcony at Lord’s as Essex displayed the trophy following Sunday’s draw with Somerset.
Khushi, 21, was 12th man for the five-day final at the home of cricket.
“As a group, we have come together and discussed the event, and on reflection, we are disappointed we let this happen,” Westley said on social media.
“On behalf of myself and the team, we would like to apologise for any offence that was caused during our celebrations at Lord’s on Sunday.
“At Essex we believe we have built a strong dressing room culture that supports one another both on and off the field.”
Westley added that the squad would in future be more responsible and aware of their actions and will “continue to learn and develop” with the help of the England and Wales Cricket Board and Professional Cricketers’ Association.
After England’s World Cup victory in 2019, other players waited for Muslims Moeen Ali and Adil Rashid to step away before spraying champagne.
And Essex said that the actions of their players did not meet the club’s “inclusive values”.
A statement said: “Essex prides themselves on their work within multi-diverse communities throughout the county and the surrounding areas.
“For a substantial period of time, Essex have had a multi-diverse team with players from different backgrounds, religions, and races, where cricket is at the heart of these communities.
“The club has worked extremely hard and will continue to bring cricket to anybody and everybody, and educate on diversity, but further work needs to be done across both sport and society in general, to widen people’s knowledge and make them more aware of cultural differences.”
Sajid Patel, co-founder of the National Cricket League in Essex and East London, described the pictures of the incident at Lord’s as “offensive”.
“It was diabolical to see there was no sort of planning, no compromise and no cultural awareness,” he told BBC Essex.
“We want it to be a celebration for everyone, but when you see scenes like that, I don’t know what to say. It left me speechless.”
Article courtesy of BBC Sport
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