The International Cricket Council (ICC) on Sunday condemned the alleged incidents of racism against Indian players that took place during the ongoing third Test match between Australia and India at the Sydney Cricket Ground. The international cricket body has also asked for a detailed report from Cricket Australia who are investigating the matter. ICC chief Manu Sawhney, in a media statement released on Sunday, said that there is no space for racism in cricket.
"There is no place for discrimination in our sport and we are incredibly disappointed that a small minority of fans may think that this abhorrent behaviour is acceptable. We have a comprehensive Anti-Discrimination Policy in place that Members have to abide by and ensure is adhered to by fans and we welcome the action taken by ground authorities and Cricket Australia today," the ICC statement read.
Sawhney also said that the ICC will offer its complete support during the investigation.
"We will provide Cricket Australia and the relevant authorities with our full support in any ensuing investigation as we will not tolerate any racism in our sport."
Under the ICC Anti-Discrimination policy, Cricket Australia will now be required to investigate the issue and provide a report to the ICC on the incident and any action taken to ensure the issue has been dealt with appropriately.
On Day 4, play was halted for a few minutes after Indian team complained that few spectators allegedly used racial slur at Mohammed Siraj during the second session.
Security officials evicted the group of spectators from the ground. This happened a day after India lodged a complaint of racial abuse faced by two of their pacers - Jasprit Bumrah and Siraj.
Play resumed after the delay as Australia declared their second innings at 312 for six, setting India a mammoth target of 407 runs for the win.
India lost both their openers before the end of day's play and were 98 for two at Stumps.