Loath to point the finger at India, Cricket Australia chief executive James Sutherland has instead questioned the International Cricket Council over their tardy response to the Andrew Symonds racism row.

Sutherland on Friday addressed the South Australian Press Club in a wide-ranging speech that nonetheless concentrated on the twin issues of racism and crowd behaviour, which have dominated headlines from the outset of this season.

Monkey taunts directed at Symonds during the recent one-day series were denied by sections of the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI), even after the emergence of photographic evidence.

Arguing that the issue had been overplayed in the Australian media, Sutherland said that India's BCCI had responded "in a fashion", but contended that the ICC did not take it seriously enough.

"The BCCI have responded in a fashion through their president making statements, we also saw in Mumbai action taken by the BCCI removing spectators," Sutherland said.

"I think from that perspective we saw a positive response, it might have been delayed but it was positive.

"The wheels were in motion at ICC level but perhaps the response might have been a little more immediate to the issue or taken more seriously.

"It clearly was an issue and people clearly were offended by it."

Clear throughout Sutherland's address, and his response to media questions afterwards, was that he did not see a future in slanging matches between ICC member countries.

South African Cricket Board chief executive Gerald Majola threatened to boycott future Australian touring obligations after the Proteas were subjected to racial baiting on their 2005-06 tour.

"My personal view is it didn't warrant (Majola's) sort of approach, I don't see that as the best way to deal with it," Sutherland said.

"The best way to deal with the sort of issue where there might've been a transgression of the policy is it's for the people who look after the policy (ICC) to oversee that and look for ways in which it can be improved."

Hanging over the issue is CA's desire to avoid any sort of stand-off with India, given the subcontinental nation's status as the commercial giant of international cricket.

During his address, Sutherland quantified India's commercial power by pointing out that the expatriate Indian population of the United States was now the second most lucrative television rights market for cricket, a staggering statistic for a non-playing nation.

"In terms of the global cricket economy, over 70 per cent of revenue for the game is generated out of India," he said.

"The influence of India is really significant all the way around the world, in the United States there is a huge population of expat Indians.

"In terms of the television rights market in the world, No.1 is India, but the second biggest market is the United States, ahead of the UK and South Africa, so that's a decent indication of the influence of the Indian subcontinent."

Brought to you by AAP © 2024 AAP