English cricket is facing losing more major sponsors following its leaders’ car-crash performance at a parliamentary hearing into its racism scandal.

The England & Wales Cricket Board and Middlesex County Cricket Club were dealt stern rebukes by some of their biggest commercial partners after being plunged into turmoil over their inquisition by the Digital, Culture, Media and Sport (DCMS) select committee.

Tuesday’s hearing saw Mike O’Farrell, the chairman of Middlesex, provoke outrage by claiming black people preferred football and rugby to cricket and that Asians prioritised academia.

It also laid bare explosive allegations one of only two non-white chairs of a first-class county quit after being left “traumatised” following attempts to coerce her into endorsing the game’s response to its racism scandal.

The game’s racism scandal had already cost Yorkshire – the club which triggered the crisis – a raft of commercial backers, with yesterday seeing more of those to bankroll the game threatening to follow suit.

They included Middlesex sponsor Yellow Tail, part of the Casella Family Brands wine company, which said: “Casella Family Brands does not tolerate discrimination of any kind and yesterday’s events and the outcomes of the DCMS hearing were very disappointing. We are having discussions with Middlesex and will be reviewing our position over the next few days.”

Property giant Knight Frank added: “We maintain a zero-tolerance policy on discrimination and remain in close communication with Middlesex Cricket Club regarding these events.”

Brookes Macdonald, the investment management firm, also said it was “disappointed by the comments made by the chairman of Middlesex County Cricket Club”.

The ECB faced similar warnings over allegations Mehmooda Duke had quit as Leicestershire chair after feeling “intimidated”, “coerced” and “manoeuvred” into endorsing its response to the game’s racism scandal.

Online trading provider IG said: “We have been saddened and concerned by some of the issues that have come to light as a result of the ongoing Racism in Cricket parliamentary inquiry. We are in close contact with the ECB to understand what action they will take to address the shortcomings identified.”

A spokesman for insurance firm Royal London added: “We condemn discriminatory behaviour and expect any allegations reported to be taken seriously and dealt with fairly and promptly.”

Clive Efford MP: ‘A damage limitation is just not enough’

Major doubt was cast on that happening by Clive Efford MP, a leading member of the DCMS select committee and former shadow sports minister.

“Do I think that the ECB is capable of properly addressing this issue? I haven’t seen any evidence yet that it is,” he told The Telegraph. “What we’re seeing is a damage-limitation operation and that’s just not good enough.”

Efford also called for O’Farrell to follow in the footsteps of Greg Clarke, who resigned as chairman of the Football Association after making similar comments at a select committee hearing just over a year ago.

“There comes a time in everyone’s career when it’s time to move on,” he said.

As of Wednesday evening, O’Farrell was said to retain the backing of the Middlesex board, members of which had no immediate plans to convene over comments for which he later apologised profusely.

One figure at the club told The Telegraph, O’Farrell had not intended to imply black and Asian youngsters were to blame for being under-represented within the professional game.

That view was endorsed by board member Edward Lord, who is also co-chair of the club’s Diversity & Inclusion committee.

He told The Telegraph: “Mike has been hugely supportive of diversity and inclusion initiatives within the club and I know from his personal background and commitment to making people feel welcome in cricket that what he said at the DCMS select committee was an error rather than his own misguided view.”

One source said O’Farrell, who turned 80 last year, was expected to retire within the next year or so, with the club having appointed Eddie Villiers – the brother of former Cabinet minister Theresa Villiers – as deputy chair this month in anticipation.