England Cricket Board hosts its first-ever iftar event at Lord's

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The England and Wales Cricket Board (ECB) hosted its first-ever iftar event at the Home of Cricket, Lord's Cricket Ground. The event was attended by a number of high-profile dignitaries and was hosted by renowned commentators Aatif Nawaz and Tameena Hussain.

Following the Azeem Rafiq racism scandal at Yorkshire Cricket Club, the ECB has been making an active effort to promote a positive culture that is inclusive of all cultures and ethnic backgrounds. Rafiq was also one of the attendees at the event.

THIS GUY is about to host the FIRST EVER ECB Iftar event at Lords in the Long Room. What an honour 😊 pic.twitter.com/kUUMQZmBJ4

— Aatif Nawaz (@AatifNawaz) April 21, 2022

In addition to Rafiq's presence, cricket personalities such as George Dobell were also in attendance which made the event a success story. The attendees praised ECB and Lord's Cricket Stadium management for taking the initiative to unite the Muslim community and promote a positive image of themselves on the international stage.

Associate Producer of Sky Sports - Nakul Pande - posted a sensational video of Maghrib Azaan being recited in the Lord's Long Room. He took it to social media and wrote: "You need not be a person of faith, only a person in possession of a soul, to find the adhan call to prayers reverberating around Lord's Long Room spine-tingling. A beautiful moment."

You need not be a person of faith, only a person in possession of a soul, to find the adhan call to prayer reverberating around the @HomeOfCricket Long Room spine-tingling. A beautiful moment. pic.twitter.com/PGN2EsksOC

— Nakul Pande (@NakulMPande) April 21, 2022

Former England captain Eoin Morgan also attended the event and spoke a few words at to showcase his appreciation for such an initiative.

Really enjoyable evening last night @HomeOfCricket hosting its first ever Iftar. Ramadan Kareem 🙏🏻

— Eoin Morgan (@Eoin16) April 22, 2022

The wife of former all-rounder Azhar Mahmood was also invited to the event and she labeled the event as, "breaking barriers and pushing for more diversity and inclusion in our sports."

Delighted to be invited to the First ever iftar @ECB_cricket @HomeOfCricket tonight. Continuing to break barriers and pushing for more diversity and inclusion in our sport and in communities - well done to the team @TameenaHussain @sabah_hamed pic.twitter.com/2xOv3m44sR

— Ebba Qureshi (@EbbaQ) April 21, 2022

Here are some additional reactions from the breakthrough event from various other people who were also invited to the event:

An honour to have been invited to the first Iftar in the long room at Lords. Great evening #ecb #iftar #homeofcricket pic.twitter.com/SxFnBmi4MR

— Lisa Gillespie (@lisapayne30) April 21, 2022

A beautiful inclusive Iftar held by the @ECB_cricket in the stunning @HomeOfCricket Long Room #Ramadan #lords #Cricket pic.twitter.com/edWUG0oHL4

— Mehreen (@baewellmm) April 22, 2022

I’ve been privileged to enjoy many @HomeOfCricket Long Room events in recent months but this was one of the most inspiring & meaningful. To @TameenaHussain & the rest of the @ECB_cricket team - thank you for bringing us together so beautifully tonight. #Ramadan 🙏 https://t.co/Xlh9bXuflL

— Clare Connor (@ConnorCricket) April 22, 2022

An absolute honour to be part of the first ECB Iftar @HomeOfCricket

Well done to @TameenaHussain & her team for all the hard work that went in to making it such a memorable occasion for everyone attending

Special to be able to share the evening with @GeorgeDobell1 👊🏽👊🏽 pic.twitter.com/tS7kVXnxlm

— Azeem Rafiq (@AzeemRafiq30) April 21, 2022