The BBC has finally announced Michael Vaughan’s return to punditry duties after he was cleared of racism in March following the Azeem Rafiq saga.
Telegraph Sport reported last month how the Corporation wanted the Ashes-winning former England captain to come back, but he was granted time to consider his options.
Tim Davie, the director general, approved the return, but left negotiations to BBC Sport executives to eventually secure his spot on Test Match Special coverage for this summer’s Ashes. He will also return for the Test match against Ireland.
The 48-year-old had other options to weigh up after his reputation was restored by the Cricket Discipline Commission. An allegation made by Rafiq that Vaughan had told four Asian players “there are too many of you lot, we need to have a word about that” in 2009 was “not proved”, the CDC ruled, in part due to “significant inconsistencies in the evidence” of both Rafiq and key witness Adil Rashid.
Vaughan had continued to write for Telegraph Sport throughout the saga and his employers in Australia, Fox, stood by him too.
However, he has not worked for the BBC since he was charged last summer. He had previously worked as a pundit for the corporation since 2009, although he did not appear on coverage for the 2021-22 Ashes.
Five other individuals who played at Yorkshire, including former England players Matthew Hoggard and Tim Bresnan, were found to be partially guilty of using racist language. The CDC is expected to announce sanctions in the coming days.
Some figures within the BBC had been surprised by the timing of the Vaughan announcement as it had been widely expected that his return would be confirmed after the weekend.
He will join Sir Alastair Cook and Phil Tufnell on Today at the Test from June 1 when England take on Ireland at Lord’s.
Isa Guha will be the main presenter on daily highlights from 7pm as Ben Stokes and his team embark on their first Test this summer. Alison Mitchell and Niall O’Brien also feature on the commentary team.
TMS is set to provide ball-by-ball commentary from each day of both the men’s and women’s Ashes on 5 Sports Extra and BBC Sounds, and will be led by Jonathan Agnew, alongside Guha, Simon Mann, Alison Mitchell, Daniel Norcross and Jim Maxwell. Vaughan will be among the summarisers.
Barbara Slater, Director of BBC Sport, said: “I’m thrilled that we are delivering a wealth of cricket coverage this summer across TV, radio and online, keeping fans at the heart of the action. From the iconic Ashes tournament to more recent formats like The Hundred, we are making cricket accessible to all.”
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