On behalf of the ECB and the entire leadership of the game, I offer my unreserved apologies to anyone who has ever been excluded from cricket or felt out of place, said ECB chairman Richard Thompson in a statement.

Cricket should be a game for everyone, and we know that wasn’t always the case. The report’s powerful conclusions also underscore that for too long, women and black people have been neglected. We sincerely regret this.

Thompson added that the consultation process will be led by Claire Connor, deputy CEO, with support from a subgroup of the board including Zahida Manzoor, Pete Ackerley, Ebony Rainford-Brent, Ron Califa, Richard Gould and himself.

The Committee on Culture, Media and Sport (CMS) also commented on the report, confirming that there is a deep-seated problem of racism in cricket, while acknowledging the need for the ECB to readjust and seek to enforce its obligations.

The amount of evidence of not only racial discrimination, but also sexism and elitism is unacceptable in a sport that should be for everyone and should be a catalyst for change, CMS committee chair Caroline Dinenage said in a statement.