In its written reasons for the sanction, the CDC said: “It was alleged that, on a number of occasions (including during the pre-season of 2024 in the changing room at Sophia Gardens) Mr Bradburn asked players of Asian background what their ‘real age’ is and responded to their answer by saying ‘is that your CricInfo age’ or ‘CricInfo’ or similar, implying that Asian players do not tell the truth about their age.
“It was alleged that in a pre-season team meeting Mr Bradburn made comments that, in cricket selection decisions in Pakistan, they would pick their friends and cousins or pick their names out of a hat.
“It was alleged that in fielding practice sessions Mr Bradburn would use the phrase ‘this isn’t Western Storm’ or similar, when he considered that male players were demonstrating a lack of intensity in their fielding or not throwing hard enough, suggesting that they were ‘throwing like girls’.”
In his judgement, CDC adjudicator Tim O’Gorman noted by way of mitigation the New Zealander “meant no offence, never denied making these statements, co-operated fully with the investigation, and unreservedly apologised if any offence was taken”.
The judgement added: “Mr Bradburn has stated that although he has always sought to create an environment which is inclusive and supportive, he reflected on the specific allegations, and quickly acknowledged that the language he used was not appropriate.”
The commission, however, found that the comments were “prejudicial to the interests of cricket, brought the game and Mr Bradburn into disrepute, and undermined the ECB’s [England and Wales Cricket Board] strategic objective of eradicating discrimination from the sport”.
Welcoming the regulator’s decision, Glamorgan chief executive Dan Cherry said: “We have a zero-tolerance policy towards discriminatory behaviour so as soon as issues were pointed out to us we acted swiftly to protect those affected and show a strong line against poor behaviours that do not reflect the club’s values.
“We’re confident that the systems and processes we have in place to identify poor behaviour are working by virtue of the fact that those affected felt able to come forward on these points.”
Director of the Cricket Regulator Chris Haward said: “There is no place for discrimination in cricket and normalisation of discriminatory language through this kind of conduct is unacceptable. Where such instances are identified they will be investigated and those responsible will be held to account.
“The Regulator would like to thank Glamorgan for their assistance in this matter and praise the openness and courage of those who reported this misconduct.”
