"I want to be clear that when I was made aware of Azeem Rafiq's allegations, I immediately reached out to the ECB to ask for their help and intervention to support a robust inquiry. "The BCCI (Board of Control for Cricket in India) also tried their best to make us feel comfortable, but this is the time we are living in right now, it's a difficult time, there's a pandemic going on. "He has built a team in his image. They are resilient, tough, clutch - they've won seven of their last eight overtime games, including two of three this year. He deserves a ton of credit. "I have never met Azeem and was not at the club during the period he was employed. I know however, that when someone makes claims as serious as his, they need to be investigated and changes need to be made," Hutton said.