YORKSHIRE chair Lord Patel, of Bradford, feels significant change was needed after long-serving director of cricket Martyn Moxon and head coach Andrew Gale left their posts.

Moxon had been signed off from work due to a stress-related illness while Gale had been suspended pending a disciplinary hearing since November 9 as the fall-out continues in the wake of the Azeem Rafiq racism investigation.

Yorkshire say the total number of departures is 16, including six members of the backroom medical team provided by Pavilion Physiotherapy Clinic, and that an interim medical team is in the process of being appointed.

Although Lord Patel admitted the decisions were tough to make, he feels they had to happen to make Yorkshire a "place for everyone".

He said: “Significant change is required at Yorkshire CCC and we are committed to taking whatever action is necessary to regain trust.

"The decisions announced today were difficult to make, but are in the best interests of the club.

"Without making important changes to how we are run, we cannot move on from the past to become a culture which is progressive and inclusive.

“We want to make Yorkshire CCC a place for everyone, from all backgrounds.

"To do this, we need to rebuild our culture and instil positive values in everyone associated with Yorkshire.

"We are determined to learn from the mistakes of the past to become a club which people can trust.

“We are hoping to announce a new Director of Cricket in the coming days.

"We have a huge rebuilding job to do but we are confident that this heralds a step forward towards a brighter future”.