Melbourne: The ICC has warned the BCCI that it must abide by the anti-racism code and act seriously on the remarks made by fans in Vadodara against Australian allrounder Andrew Symonds.

BCCI secretary Niranjan Shah conceded that the board had not appointed an anti-racism officer, despite it being a requirement of the ICC for all Test-playing nations.

Even Ray Mali, ICC’s acting president, stated that India must fall in line with other cricketing nations and abide by the anti-racism code. “Every member of the ICC is a signatory to that code, and we expect everyone to follow it,” Mali told an Australian daily.

“I strongly condemn incidents of racism wherever they occur. This is a serious issue, and we need to act on it to the best of our ability,” Mali said.

David Morgan, who will become the ICC president next year, echoed Mali’s thoughts. He also denied that the ICC provided preferential treatment to the BCCI as it brought in millions of dollars through television rights and sponsorship deals. (AGENCIES)