SOMERSET chairman Andy Nash has defended the two-match ban handed to seamer Craig Overton over alleged racially offensive language, and said that both the player and club officials have already issued an apology.

Overton was found guilty of a level-one breach - the lowest of four England and Wales Cricket Board directives - for allegedly telling Sussex's Pakistan-born spinner Ashar Zaidi to "go back to your own country" in an LV= County Championship match in September.

Overton denied saying the words.

Zaidi has since called on Overton to apologise to him for the remarks.

But Nash said ‘the issue is closed’ as far as the club is concerned and believes the punishment handed out to Overton was appropriate, despite calls from Kick It Out – the equality and inclusion organisation – for a sterner sanction.

Nash told The Times: “As far as the club is concerned, the issue is closed.

“The CDC handled it and once they issued their verdict, Craig, Matt and Guy all apologised in writing to Sussex. Those apologies were accepted.

“I do not think Craig needs to make another apology.

“He has been punished as the disciplinary committee saw fit and we have also taken internal steps that are appropriate.”

Kick It Out chairman Lord Herman Ouseley believes the punishment handed down by the Cricket Discipline Commission (CDC) - an independent arm of the ECB - “does not fit the offence” and called on cricket to send out a clear message that such actions will not be tolerated.

He told the Guardian: “My personal view would be that it seems quite outrageous; that the punishment does not fit the offence and that clearly at least a category three sanction should have been applied in this instance.

“It’s not only serious abuse and misconduct, it is clearly racially offensive.

“I would expect that if it was in football, that person would be getting a very heavy sanction.

“If cricket wants to maintain a reputation of credibility it should nip something like this in the bud and make it clear that it is not going to tolerate it.

“If a decision seems quite outrageously wrong, then the ECB could appeal and that goes to another panel.

“In appealing, and voicing its displeasure at the verdict, it can send the message that there should be zero tolerance of such discriminatory conduct.”

Somerset chairman Andy Nash added: “The disciplinary committee are no shrinking violets.

“They are led by a notorious QC (Gerard Elias), by which I mean a man with very strong opinions, and the others are qualified lawyers.

“They concluded this was a level one offence, a very different matter to a level three that some have suggested.

“Craig has been known to the club for many years, as has his brother [Jamie] and his family.

“Both twins are excellent characters and popular with team-mates.

“You want aggression in fast bowlers.

“Craig is still a very young man, he is still learning where the line is.

“As for him speaking out on this, the advice from the club is that it has been handled properly, you apologised appropriately, as did your line manager and your chief executive. I think he needs to move on.”

The ECB has said it remains content with the CDC’s handling of the case and that Overton was subsequently selected for this winter’s England Performance Programme.

An ECB spokesman said: “The Cricket Discipline Commission is an independent body which operates at arm’s length from the ECB.

“Craig Overton’s selection for the EPP squad would have played no part whatsoever in the CDC’s ruling in this matter.

“The ECB refutes any suggestion of interference or bias in the proper disciplinary process.”

Overton’s two-match ban has also been questioned by Yorkshire head coach, Jason Gillespie who said on Twitter: "There is a strong chance that @YorkshireCCC will be seeking clarification on this..............."

It comes after Yorkshire captain Andrew Gale was suspended for four games and prevented from lifting the County Championship trophy in 2014 after calling Lancashire’s South African batsman Ashwell Prince a “Kolpak f*****”.

Gale was initially reported for a level-two offence and an ECB complaint to the CDC saw his ban extended from an initial two matches.