The ICC A racism complaint made by Cricket Namibia following a match against Afghanistan in April has been resolved ©ICC

A racism complaint made by Cricket Namibia following a match against Afghanistan in April has been resolved following a confidential conciliation process, the International Cricket Council (ICC) has announced.

The issue was raised following Nambia’s ICC Intercontinental Cup clash with Afghanistan in Greater Noida in India, which took place between April 10 and 12.

The players involved have not been named by the ICC.

Following the process, which involved discussions with an ICC-appointed conciliator, the Afghanistan Cricket Board (ACB) conceded that “some of the offence caused by words used by some of the Afghanistan players resulted from cultural differences, a lack of sensitivity and misunderstanding”.

“Nevertheless, the ACB accepted that certain words spoken by some of their players in the presence of a Namibian player could reasonably have been expected to cause offence,” an ICC statement read.

The ICC also confirmed an apology had been offered by the ACB to their Namibian counterparts and that they had agreed to attend an education and training course.

It will focus on “responsibilities of international cricketers in relation to issues of race, language and cultural sensitivity”, according to cricket’s worldwide governing body.

A complaint of facism was made following Namibia's Intercontinental Cup match against Afghanistan in April ©Getty Images
A complaint of facism was made following Namibia's Intercontinental Cup match against Afghanistan in April ©Getty Images

Afghanistan’s squad have also insisted any offence caused was wholly unintentional.

Under the ICC’s Anti-Racism Code, an amended version of which was adopted in 2006, the matter is considered closed and no further action will be taken.

“I would like to thank all parties involved for their cooperation in and commitment to the conciliation process,” ICC chief executive David Richardson said.

“I am also extremely grateful to the conciliator for his professional approach.

“The ICC would like to stress that there is no place for racism within the sport; we are proud of the diversity of the global cricket community and accordingly place the utmost importance on every participant according respect to their fellow players.”

The announcement by the ICC was made during the organisation’s Annual Conference, which began yesterday in Edinburgh.

A number of key issues are on the agenda, including cricket’s potential bid for Olympic inclusion as well as the prospect of adding further World Twenty20 tournaments and the possible establishment of a two-tier international Test league.