The Cricket Discipline Commission has hit the Chelmsford club with a £50,000 fine, with £15,000 of that suspended for two years.

Essex have also been cautioned as to their further conduct and reprimanded, with the CDC panel finding that the club "failed to uphold the standards expected of it".

A points deduction was deemed inappropriate with the comment made by a member of non-playing staff away from the field.

Faragher resigned from his role in November 2021 following the allegation.

He has denied making the comment but the CDC panel's written report stated that Essex have "nevertheless admitted to its use in answer to this charge".

The club have been found to have breached ECB directive 3.3 which states:

"No Participant may conduct themself in a manner or do any act or omission at any time which may be prejudicial to the interests of cricket or which may bring the ECB, the game of cricket or any cricketer or group of cricketers into disrepute."

Essex's charge relates to Faragher's alleged use of the terminology "n***** in the woodpile" and the club's failure to conduct any subsequent investigation.

The CDC panel said Essex chief executive John Stephenson had done "all within his power" to take action but was "thwarted" by the club's board, which had been "paralysed by internal division".

Reacting to the CDC's decision, Essex said: "The club has a zero-tolerance policy towards racism and any form of discrimination.

"We continue to work with the ECB to eradicate discrimination from the game, which includes implementing their 12-point action plan and the club's further commitment to Equality, Diversity & Inclusion policies and processes."

The ECB published its action plan in November following Azeem Rafiq's testimony to MPs about the abuse he suffered at Yorkshire.

Speaking at the time, ECB chief executive Tom Harrison said: "The last few weeks have been very, very tough for cricket. It feels like an earthquake has hit us.

"The most damning part of Azeem's testimony is that he didn't want his son to be part of the game. That is, for someone in my job, the most difficult thing you can hear."