Birmingham Police on Friday confirmed that they have arrested a 32-year-old man for a “racially aggravated public order offence” after reports of racist abuse during the India-England Edgbaston Test.
It was on the fourth day of the rescheduled fifth Test, that many Indian fans took to Twitter to reveal that they were subjected to racist abuse from other fans at the venue. Birmingham Police have also confirmed that the arrested man “remains in custody for questioning”.
“A 32-year-old man has been arrested for a racially aggravated public order offence after reports of racist, abusive behaviour at the test match in #Birmingham on Monday. He remains in custody for questioning,” the official handle of Birmingham Police tweeted.
The ECB said it was in contact “with colleagues at Edgbaston” who will be investigating the matter. Azeem Rafiq, the former Yorkshire cricketer who had raised allegations of racism and bullying in Yorkshire, highlighted some tweets that described the racist abuse of Indian fans taking place in the Edgbaston crowd.
In the rescheduled fifth Test between India and England, the hosts won the match as they chased down 378 and as a result, the series that got underway last year finished at 2-2.
