Ex-umpires call for institutional racism probe into ECB John Holder (left) and Ismail Dawood London, Tuesday: Two former umpires have accused the England and Wales Cricket Board (ECB) of institutional racism and called for an independent investigation by the UK Equality and Human Rights Commission (EHRC). John Holder, who stood in 11 Tests and 19 one-day internationals in nearly 30 years as a professional umpire, and Ismail Dawood, who stood on the ECB reserve list and umpired first-class matches, said it was vital to have an inquiry “to challenge organisations like the ECB”. The last Black, Asian and minority ethnic (BAME) umpire to be added to the ECB’s first-class list was Vanburn Holder 28 years ago. There have been none since his retirement in 2010. An ECB spokesman told the BBC it wanted a more diverse ethnic make-up on their umpires panel but it was some way off from happening. ...

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