Edinburgh, Scotland – Former Scotland international cricketer Majid Haq has accused the sport’s governing structures of racial discrimination, harassment, and victimisation, after being removed from what would have been a historic umpiring role earlier this month.
Haq was due to officiate the Scotland A vs Nepal international fixture, a match that would have marked him as the first Scottish-born South Asian to umpire an international cricket game on home soil.
Instead, he was removed by the Cricket Scotland Match Officials Association (CSMOA) in what has since become the subject of a formal complaint—filed on his behalf and now being assessed by Cricket Scotland.
A Familiar Pattern?
For Haq, the disappointment runs deeper than a single missed match.
“It hurts that in 2025, I still find myself being discriminated against,” he told Sky Sports News. “All I want to do is help the sport that I love.”
This is not the first time the former spinner has spoken out. In 2021, he publicly shared experiences of racism while playing for Scotland, alongside fellow cricketer Qasim Sheikh. Their testimonies sparked an independent review, which ultimately found Cricket Scotland’s leadership to be institutionally racist.
While that review was hailed as a turning point, Haq’s recent experience leaves him questioning whether anything has really changed.
The Match That Wasn’t
Haq had been appointed to umpire Scotland A’s match against Nepal earlier this month. Then, just days before the fixture, the CSMOA removed him from the appointment, citing several reasons in an email obtained by Sky Sports News:
-
Failure to purchase official umpiring kit
-
Non-payment of membership fees
-
Missing a pre-match online meeting
But Haq disputes each of these points:
-
He says he received the correct kit from another umpire ahead of the match.
-
A photograph later that week appears to show other officials umpiring in non-standard attire.
-
He paid his membership fees before the match.
-
He missed the online meeting because he was given less than 24 hours’ notice, and had already committed to a tennis tournament.
Most critically, Haq claims another umpire was excused from the same meeting for personal reasons and faced no disciplinary action.
“If another umpire were in my position, they would not have been treated this way,” Haq said. “The incident that saw me taken off duties… has been deeply upsetting.”
“An Operational Decision” or Discrimination?
Cricket Scotland has acknowledged receiving Haq’s complaint, but has distanced itself from the decision, emphasising that CSMOA is a separate organisation, despite the national body offering it some support.
“We have received a complaint on behalf of Majid Haq,” a Cricket Scotland spokesperson confirmed.
“As per Cricket Scotland’s complaints policy and process, the complaint will be assessed and a determination made on what the next steps are.”
The CSMOA declined to comment when contacted by Sky Sports News.
A Bitter Reminder
Majid Haq’s career with Scotland stretched over a decade, during which he made 75 appearances between 2006 and 2015. Long seen as a pioneer for ethnic diversity in Scottish cricket, his recent experience has reignited a painful debate about inclusion, equity, and whether Scotland’s cricketing institutions have truly reformed.
“I hoped the independent review that unearthed examples of racism within cricket in Scotland would act as a watershed moment for the sport,” Haq said.
Instead, he finds himself, once again, on the outside looking in.
