Grant Bradburn reprimanded and issued warning after Glamorgan sacking

Former Glamorgan coach Grant Bradburn has been reprimanded and issued a warning after admitting to discriminatory conduct.

The 58-year-old New Zealander was sacked by the Welsh county last December, having been appointed on a three-year deal in January 2024.

The Cricket Discipline Commission (CDC) ordered Bradburn to attend a course on discrimination and equality, diversity and inclusion and fined him £500, in addition to the reprimand and the warning.

Ex-Scotland coach Bradburn admitted to the charge, which contained three allegations.

It was first alleged he had asked players from an Asian background what their “real age” was, implying Asian players do not tell the truth about their age.

It was further alleged he had said during a pre-season team meeting that when making cricket selection decisions in Pakistan, players would pick their friends or cousins or pick names out of a hat.

Finally, it was alleged Bradburn used the phrase “this isn’t Western Storm”, or similar words, during a fielding practice session when he considered that male players were demonstrating a lack of intensity or not throwing hard enough by likening them to the women’s team.

Discriminatory

All three comments were deemed discriminatory by the CDC adjudicator Tim O’Gorman, the first two because they had racist connotations and the Western Storm remarks because they had sexist connotations.

The Cricket Regulator argued Bradburn’s position as head coach was considered an aggravating factor, illustrated by the fact, it said, that players picked up on Bradburn’s words regarding Western Storm and started using those words themselves.

The CDC found and accepted mitigating factors in Bradburn’s favour such as the acceptance of the charge, the fact he had shown remorse and immediately offered to apologise to anyone affected by his conduct, and found no racist or discriminatory intent in the comments made.

It was also recognised that this was the only time Bradburn had been involved in disciplinary proceedings with either the Cricket Regulator or the England and Wales Cricket Board.

Reflective

O’Gorman found Bradburn to be “a reflective coach who espouses continual learning, has admitted that although he has not always got things 100 per cent right, he has always tried to inspire, encourage and create inclusivity”.

Chris Haward, the director of the Cricket Regulator, said following the issuing of sanctions: “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 fully endorses the CDC’s observation that the culture in any organisation is heavily influenced by those who lead that organisation and so it is especially incumbent on all senior leaders to set the right tone. In this instance, Grant Bradburn failed to meet expectations.”

Haward thanked Glamorgan for their assistance and the “openness and courage” of those who reported the misconduct.

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.”