The National Asian Cricket Council is confident the inquiry into Azeem Rafiq’s allegations of “institutional racism” at Yorkshire will get to the heart of the matter and that the club will act should wrongdoing be established. Yorkshire announced on Wednesday that an independent subcommittee has been set up to explore claims by their former off-spinner, with Dr Samir Pathak, a prominent surgeon in Bristol and trustee of the MCC Foundation, named as chair. As well as Stephen Willis, chief financial officer at Durham University, and Hanif Malik OBE, a former non-executive director at Sport England, the panel features Gulfraz Riaz of the NACC, a key advisory body to the England and Wales Cricket Board and a contributor to its South Asian Engagement Plan. Speaking about the appointment, Riaz told the Guardian: “I’m confident it will be a transparent and fair process, otherwise [the NACC] wouldn’t have put ourselves in this position. Is it impartial? Yes. Will it be transparent? Yes. Will there be opportunities for people to speak, be it anonymously or not? Yes. Are we determined to get to the bottom of it and provide recommendations? Yes. It’s being taken very seriously. “It’s unfortunate that we’re where we are but Azeem deserves this and the game deserves this, both in Yorkshire and as a whole. I have spoken to [the Yorkshire chair] Roger Hutton and he has said that if we find things are not right resolutions will follow. And that encourages me.” The terms of reference are yet to be disclosed but Rafiq’s contentions are seemingly twofold, having given examples of inappropriate comments made by others during his two spells at Headingley and questioned the circumstances surrounding his second release by the club in 2018. It came a short while after Rafiq’s first son was stillborn but, according to the player, also a year on from having raised a direct allegation of racism by a teammate with the Yorkshire management. Rafiq said he revisited this matter during a meeting with club officials after the tragedy, only to see it met with apathy. As well as having a PCA representative present at this meeting, Rafiq asked a friend, Ritchie Fiddes, to attend for support. Fiddes, a local businessman who had sponsored Rafiq and a number of player benefit years, paints a similar picture. “I was shocked and aghast at how things unfolded that day,” Fiddes told the Guardian. “One of the [club officials] was rolling his eyes while Azeem broke down in tears. The allegations weren’t fresh – they had heard them before - and one of the [club officials] asked me, having run a successful business, how they should deal with it. I told them they needed to carry out a full investigation. But clearly they didn’t. “The body language and the way things were handled showed me they’d already made their mind up to release Azeem. There was no duty of care, no interest. It was just cold. I don’t know how he has bounced back from it. People are questioning why it’s taken him two years but I’m just amazed he can speak about it at all.” Yorkshire, who have said they will not be commenting on specific allegations before the investigation is concluded, find themselves under pressure locally after 120 Asian businesses in the region wrote an open letter expressing concerns. Under the banner “British Asians Against Racism”, and writing on the change.org website, they said: “These are serious allegations which have dealt a severe blow to the confidence which the local Asian community places within YCCC. “Cricket is synonymous with both English and South Asian culture. Our shared love of the sport is something which should unite our communities. It should never create divisions between us. The Asian community has strong roots in Yorkshire. However, with a fractured relationship, we fear both YCCC and young Asian cricketers will suffer adversely.” No timeframe has been put on the inquiry but it is understood the committee intends to interview a number of Rafiq’s former teammates and club officials. The law firm Squire Patton Boggs will provide legal advice.