Michael Vaughan set to fight another legal battle with ECB to recover loss of income and money spent on legal fees

Former England captain Michael Vaughan is ready to fight the England and Wales Cricket Board (ECB) again, this time to recover over £500,000 he spent clearing his name of racism allegations and loss of income. On April 10, 2023, the Cricket Discipline Commission (CDC) ruled Vaughan not guilty of using racist comments towards Azeem Rafiq and three other Yorkshire players, ten months after being charged for the same.

The cricketer is said to have undertaken preliminary conversations with the board about recovering his legal fees after the allegations against him were dropped, but the governing body said that the situation must be resolved by the Cricket Discipline Commission.

According to Mail Sport, a hearing has been scheduled for June 27 in London, the same day when Yorkshire's punishment is decided, after pleading guilty to four counts of misconduct in connection with the issue. Notably, the cricketer retains the option of suing the ECB for damages in the High Court but is instead attempting to build bridges after being abandoned to be a part of the game in any manner, for nearly a year. 

After being accused by the ECB in June, the 48-year-old cricketer lost much of his income. In addition, BBC Sport also suspended him from his post as a pundit on Test Match Special, as well as various contracts with commercial partners. 

Meanwhile, Yorkshire County Cricket Club are facing points deductions in the County Championship, T20 Blast, and One Day Cup, as well as a fine after pleading guilty to four ECB charges. 

One of the accusations in March this year was related to destroying evidence related to Rafiq's discrimination claim against the club. However, this guilty plea has been questioned by many people working in the Yorkshire County Cricket Club at the time, who are confident that records were not deleted.