But the penalty was too lenient according to Dr Ryan Storr, a Western Sydney University academic who has spearheaded several research projects in cricket including a 2017 report on LGBTIQ inclusion prepared for CA and Cricket Victoria. "Unless there are repercussions for people saying homophobic remarks, we're not going to get rid of them," Dr Storr told The Age and Sydney Morning Herald. Marcus Stoinis and Kane Richardson in 2018. Credit:Paul Jeffers "Within the research I did, it showed that even at grassroots level it's still common to hear homophobic remarks. "Across Australian sport, it's a bit all over the place, a bit inconsistent. Sometimes you get away with it, sometimes you get a three-match ban, sometimes you get a seven K fine. There's too much inconsistency and you need something a bit more solid to really show that it's not acceptable.

"Why any player would make those comments, especially in light of Israel Folau and the way that's going, you just know that's not acceptable." Dr Storr said that while CA had taken many positive steps towards improving their inclusion policies, he suggested the Pattinson and Stoinis incidents - as well as the Instagram post last year in which former Australian player James Faulkner appeared to come out as gay only to later label it a misunderstanding - showed that work still needed to be done. "It's disappointing when you kind of hear about these incidents because it kind of sometimes overshadows the work that has been done, especially around anti-homophobia policies and the recent trans and gender diversity policy and things like that," Dr Storr said. Speaking on SEN on Sunday, former Australian batsman Simon Katich queried whether a fine was enough of a deterrent for Stoinis. "I'm not sure a financial punishment is the right way of going about it, given we've had a couple of instances of this throughout the summer now. It's something they'd be keen to stamp out. I'm not sure a financial penalty is that significant," Katich said.

Former Australian women's World Cup-winning captain Alex Blackwell, who is openly gay, said such slurs were "not on" but believes CA acted appropriately in its sanctioning of Stoinis. "The code of conduct is there for a reason. Both players have shown immediate remorse for what they did and the consistent application of the code ... it's good to see that it's happening," she said. Blackwell added that it wasn't "just because I'm gay" that she condemned the comments. "Other players might have an opinion on this as well," she said. "You don't have to be gay to think that it's unacceptable. It's just like racism. It's good to see the sport making a very strong stance that it's not acceptable in cricket." CA issued a statement on Sunday, confirming that the umpires reported the breach to match referee Daryl Harper. "The behaviour in this matter falls short of the standards we expect and we have acted accordingly," CA integrity chief Sean Carroll said.

"There is no place for it in the game." Stoinis accepted he had erred. "I got caught in the moment and took it too far," Stoinis said. "I realised immediately I was in the wrong and I apologise to Kane and to the umpires. "I did the wrong thing and accept responsibility for my actions. The standards are there for a reason and I accept the penalty."