Former Essex cricketer Jahid Ahmed makes shocking allegations of racism

England cricket has been reeling with the allegations of racism lately and this saga isn’t likely to end anytime soon. Several non-white cricketers have opened up about the racism issue in the county circuit after former Yorkshire cricketer Azeem Rafiq revealed many horrendous experiences of social injustice in the club. Following his footsteps, many other county cricketers also opened up about their unpleasant experiences.

The latest one to join the bandwagon is Jahid Ahmed. In what can be called a shocking claim, the former Essex cricketer recalled how he was mocked for his religion and accent. Ahmed also claimed that he was called a ‘terrorist’ by some of his fellow club members and teammates. With these claims being jaw-dropping, Essex Cricket might have to face severe repercussions. Notably, Jahid became the third former Essex player after Zoheb Sharif and Maurice Chambers to make allegations of racism.

‘White man’s world where brown people were outsiders’ – Jahid Ahmed on cluture at Essex

For the unversed, Ahmed, who’s a fast bowler, played seven first-class matches from 2005 to 2009. He described his tenure at the club as a “white man’s world where brown people were outsiders”. “I was in the dressing room with three players and a coach. One of the guys was younger than me but he felt the way to fit in was to pick on the Muslim — so he kept saying things like, ‘Would you bomb us?’,” Jahid told the Cricketer magazine.

“One of the guys was younger than me but he felt the way to fit in was to pick on the Muslim — so he kept saying things like, ‘Would you bomb us?’ Those other players and the coach laughed and he was seen as a great lad. I dreaded it. I was always fearing what they’d come up with. I wanted to change my voice — I tried to deepen it,” he added.

Jahid also said that he tried to fit in the group but the constant bullying didn’t let him to do so. “I really wanted to fit in but there were times when pretty much everyone in the dressing room joined in the laughter at my expense. It was basically, ‘You’re a Muslim, you’re a terrorist’. At other times, a senior player told me I was a ‘curry muncher’ and said I ‘stank of curry.’ It was bullying. It went on every day,” he asserted.