As the second men's Ashes Test gets underway at Lord’s today (June 28), sports fans from across the globe will turn their eyes to the venue known as ‘the Home of Cricket’.

The London ground where England and Australia will battle it out over the next five days has hosted some of cricket’s most memorable games over its 209-year-history.

It is also used for annual fixtures between private schools Eton and Harrow and between the universities of Oxford and Cambridge – but this could be about to change.

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The long-awaited Independent Commission for Equity in Cricket (ICEC) report has recommended that these types of fixtures should no longer be played at Lord’s after 2023.

Instead, they would be replaced by national finals’ days for state school under-15 competitions for boys and girls, and a national finals’ day for men’s and women’s university teams.

It is part of 44 recommendations made by the ICEC to help expunge discrimination from cricket, after its damning report concluded that racism, sexism and elitism are widespread within the sport.

Other recommendations included that the England and Wales Cricket Board make an unreserved public apology for its failings and publish a ‘State of Equity in Cricket’ report every three years.

The report added that the entire talent pathway structure should be overhauled to make it more meritocratic, inclusive, accountable, transparent and consistent.

It comes as an investigation has begun in relation to an alleged racist word used by an Oxfordshire Cricket player during a game earlier this month.

Oxfordshire Cricket released a statement in May confirming an independent investigator has been assigned to look into the charge, which relates to a match against Berkshire.

The Oxford Mail will be following this investigation up this week.