Cricket Australia has written to the International Cricket Council to alert it to a bizarre post online by match referee Chris Broad in which the former England batsman admits to watching golf in the officials' room during the first match of the one-day series against South Africa last month.

Staff from CA's integrity unit came across the picture of Broad appearing to watch the Ryder Cup on his computer during the ODI at Centurion on September 30, above which he posted: "Cricket? What cricket? #bbcrydercup".

CA have not made a formal complaint but have brought the embarrassing scene to the attention of the ICC's senior manager of umpires and referees, Adrian Griffith, and ICC general manager Geoff Allardice.

The post by Broad, the father of Australia's Ashes tormentor Stuart Broad, looks rather innocuous at face value but figures at CA were left stunned at the sight of the 59-year-old appearing to keep track of the action at the Hazeltine National Golf Club in Minnesota with the Australian and South African teams playing on the ground in the background.