The England and Wales Cricket Board have pledged to combat cricket’s race issues in response to the the Black Lives Matter movement and claims by players that there are inequalities throughout the sport.

In a statement released on Friday they said: "We have listened carefully to those who have spoken out in recent weeks about their experiences of being black in cricket, sport and society. 

“We admire them for being vocal on this crucial topic. We know that systemic racism spans institutions and sectors across the country and we know that our sport is not immune.”

They continued by acknowledging that changes must be made at all levels of the game.

“It is our overall desire to create demonstrable action, in order to deliver meaningful and long-term change that permeates every layer of the game.”

The statement comes just days after former England opener Michael Carberry claimed the sport was ’rife’ with racism and that he did ’not expect anything’ from the governing body to combat this.

Speaking on The Cricket Badger podcast the 39 year-old slammed the organisation for promoting a false image of inclusivity.

He said: "They have put out pictures to say 'we're not racist, look at Jofra Archer and Adil Rashid hugging after winning the World Cup.

“The figures tell me otherwise,” he added.

Only one member out of 12 on the ECB board is from a BAME background while only on Friday, Vikram Solanki became the only BAME coach at any of the 18 first-class counties when he was appointed as head coach at Surrey.

Talking to BBC Sport Carberry said he would be open to the ECB approaching him for advice on how to make positive changes.

He said: “I am coming from a place of knowledge, having experienced this my whole life.”