Exclusive: Umpires chief suspended over Devon Malcolm 'racism slur' leaves ECB

The umpires’ manager accused of making a racist slur about Devon Malcolm has left the England & Wales Cricket Board.

The departure of Chris Kelly, suspended over an alleged jibe about being unable to see England player turned match referee Malcolm until he smiles, was confirmed in an internal email from Neil Snowball, the ECB’s managing director of county cricket and major events.

The email was sent on Monday, three days after Telegraph Sport exclusively revealed Kelly – in post for more than 16 years – had been stood down pending an investigation.

It made no mention of the allegation, the outcome of the probe, or of a previous suspension of Kelly by the ECB in 2020 following “serious complaints” from colleagues.

Snowball wrote: “You will be aware that over recent weeks, Chris Kelly has been taking some time off from his role as Professional Umpires’ Manager and I am writing to confirm that Chris has now left the ECB.

“Over the last two months Chris’ day to day responsibilities have been covered by our Head of Officiating, Richard Glynne-Jones, and I can confirm that this will continue for the remainder of the season.

“I would like to thank you all for your continued dedication and professionalism during this period. If you have any questions, please feel free to contact Richard Glynne-Jones or myself.”

Kelly’s alleged slur about one of English cricket’s most popular figures was made around a year after the ECB announced Malcolm as one of five new appointments to its match referee panel.

It did so after being sued by former officials John Holder and Ismail Dawood, who claimed their careers had been cut short due to “institutionalised racism” there.

Holder and Dawood, who pointed out no ethnic minority umpires had been appointed to the ECB’s first-class panel since 1992 and that there had been no non-white representation on it since 2010, withdrew their claims days after the appointments of Malcolm and fellow former England fast bowler Dean Headley.

Holder told Telegraph Sport last week Kelly’s position was “untenable” if the slur against Malcolm had been made.

“Lots of people come out and say they’re not racist but they’re always making racist comments,” Holder said. “To come and make comments about Devon Malcolm’s colour is racist.”

'Language I have heard over the years has been horrendous'

It would make a mockery of the governing body’s commitment to a “diverse and inclusive officiating system” and completely undermine its bid to draw a line under the racism crisis to engulf the game following Yorkshire’s botched handling of the Azeem Rafiq affair.

Malcolm, who played 40 Tests for England after emigrating from his native Jamaica in 1979 – including claiming a memorable nine for 57 against South Africa at The Oval in 1994 – was added to the ECB’s match referee supplementary panel six months after telling Telegraph Sport he had been twice knocked back in his bid to become an umpire during the past two decades.

“You look at the whole thing and think, ‘Was it deliberate?’” he said at the time.

Dawood added: “The language I have heard over the years has been horrendous, words such as P---, c---, n----- featured from individuals attached to the ECB. Some of this language was used in front of senior ECB managers, which I found extremely disturbing.

“Having worked in different progressive sectors to cricket, I feel the ECB is the last colonial outpost, it is archaic, and any change is mere marketing rhetoric. The glass ceiling is incredibly low for BAME individuals, with systematic racism at the heart. I feel I have encountered racial discrimination, dishonesty and misinformation, cronyism, bullying, all which is deep rooted in the organisation. It was an isolating place for a person from a BAME background.”

Kelly has previously referred all requests for comment on the accusations against him to the ECB.

An ECB spokesperson said: “We don’t comment on individual employees, but we have established processes in place to ensure that when any allegations are made they are investigated thoroughly and fairly. The ECB is committed to being an inclusive and welcoming workplace and stands against discrimination.”