Warwickshire County Cricket Club said officials are investigating allegations of racist behaviour among members of the crowd at Edgbaston on the fourth day of the fifth Test between England and India.

A number of supporters said on Twitter they had been targeted by racist abuse from other fans at the Birmingham venue on Monday.

Former Yorkshire spinner Azeem Rafiq shared a thread detailing some of the incidents and wrote that they were “disappointing to read”.

Rafiq’s testimony to a British parliamentary committee last year led to an investigation into claims of institutional racism at Yorkshire and resulted in major reforms.

Edgbaston’s official Twitter account responded to Rafiq’s tweet saying that they would investigate the matter as soon as possible.

The England & Wales Cricket Board said in a statement it was “very concerned” by the reports.

“I’m gutted by these reports as we’re working hard to make Edgbaston a safe, welcoming environment for all,” Stuart Cain, chief executive at Edgbaston, said on Monday.

“Having seen the initial tweets, I’ve spoken personally to the gentleman who raised them and we’re now speaking to the stewards in this area to establish what happened.

“Nobody should be subject to any form of abuse at Edgbaston. So, once we’ve got all the facts, we will make sure this issue is addressed swiftly.”

The Bharat Army, India’s official global supporters’ group, later said many of its members had been targeted by “a very small minority”.

“We will work with @Edgbaston to share all your feedback. Thank you to those England fans who stood by us,” it added.

The rearranged fifth Test will resume on Tuesday (today), with England needing 119 runs on the final day for a series-levelling victory.

It was another bad day for England's experienced fast bowler Stuart Broad as he conceded 35 runs — the most in an over in red-ball cricket.

The three ODIs were originally scheduled to be a part of the West Indies tour to Pakistan last December but were rescheduled after five positive Covid-19 cases, including three players, were reported in the visitors' team in a day. Consequently, the team had left after playing three Twenty20 Internationals.

Prior to that, another three players from the team had tested positive during the tour.

The PCB announced last month that the West Indies would arrive in Pakistan on June 5 to play the postponed ODI matches in Rawalpindi on June 8, 10 and 12.

In a video, exclusively shared with Dawn, the PCB chairperson said the matches could be played in "normal conditions". He, however, acknowledged the risk attached to taking the step.

But, Raja said, the PCB's medical board was looking into the matter in a different way.

"The only problem [that may entail the decision] is that if one player contracts Covid. It (the virus) spreads so rapidly that it would be impossible to call replacements from so faraway (the Caribbean)," he pointed out, adding that "in a seven-day window, one case could impact the entire series".

"It's a double-edged sword," he remarked.

But the "information we have received from our medical board shows that things can be a bit relaxed [now] since the virus isn't that bad anymore," the PCB chairperson added.

His statement comes after three players from the Australian team, which visited Pakistan after 24 years and concluded the tour yesterday, tested positive for the coronavirus.

Former captain Younis retired from international cricket in 2017 and later took up coaching, working briefly as the batting coach of Pakistan.

Gul retired in 2020 before taking up a bowling coach role with Pakistan Super League team Quetta Gladiators the following year.

“Younis Khan and Omar Gul have rich experience of international cricket and I am sure they will help our boys overcome the concerns they have got in the batting and bowling departments,” said Naseeb Khan, CEO of ACB.

On Tuesday, the board appointed former England batsman Graham Thorpe as their head coach, replacing South African Lance Klusener.

Afghanistan are training in the UAE to prepare for their upcoming international matches

The voting was held during the FIFA Congress at the Doha Exhibition and Cultural Centre, which will on Friday also hold the draw for the 2022 World Cup finals in Qatar. The vote was 195 in favour to four against.

Pakistan was suspended by FIFA’s all-powerful Council in April last year after the Pakistan Football Federation Normalisation Committee (NC) was thrown out of office by a group of officials led by Ashfaq Hussain Shah, who was elected as president in an election of the PFF held by the Supreme Court in December 2018.

That election was not accepted by FIFA and in September 2019, the global football body appointed the NC for the PFF to hold fresh elections.

Ashfaq and his group of officials were described as “protestors” by FIFA at the Congress on Thursday. Pakistan’s ban was ratified at last year’s Congress.

Last month, the PFF NC was handed back control of the headquarters in Lahore after the government decided to unconditionally back it in an attempt to lift the suspension on Pakistan.

Thursday’s vote means that as soon as the NC regains control over the accounts, the suspension will be lifted by FIFA.

Wicketkeeper Inglis tested positive on Monday, while spinner Ashton Agar and team physio Brendan Wilson failed tests on Tuesday. All other players and staff tested negative, Cricket Australia said.

All three must isolate for five days, effectively ruling the players out of the one-day matches on Tuesday, Thursday and Saturday. The sole Twenty20 international follows next Tuesday.

Matthew Renshaw has been called up as batting cover but he must isolate for three days once he gets to Pakistan.

Mitch Marsh is also unavailable for Tuesday's opening one-dayer because of a hip injury, leaving Australia with only 13 players available for the contest at Gaddafi Stadium.

All-rounder Marsh injured his left hip flexor in training but scans revealed a low grade issue and CA said it was hoped he might still play a part in the rest of the tour.

Test captain Pat Cummins, Mitchell Starc, Josh Hazlewood, Kane Richardson, Steve Smith, David Warner and Glenn Maxwell will be absent from the white-ball leg of the tour for various reasons.

Australia won the three-Test series 1-0.