Village greens, bunting, warm beer, cricket and red cards.
This will be the new summer scape from October 2017 after the MCC decided to introduce 'sendings off' into the game of cricket due to rotten player behaviour.
Not so much from the top level of the game where players are kept largely well behaved by the ICC code of conduct and enough TV replays and stump mics to catch their every move.
It is more aimed at the lower club and grade cricket levels of the game where player behaviour, violence and abuse has 'got out of hand' according for former Aussie skipper Ricky Ponting.
Yes, that is the same Ricky Ponting who used a few choice words in his time and barely had his attack dogs Matthew Hayden and Glenn McGrath on a leash at times.
Still, as chirpy as Ponting's Aussie team were they didn't cross over into the realms of physical violence on the field which is something that has become all to frequent in club cricket matches all over the country.
Ponting, who is on the MCC world cricket committee said: “I'm not worried about curbing characters in the international game because I think those players will still show out on the international stage.
“The reason we are talking about making changes to lower level cricket is because it has got completely out of hand down there.
“What we've seen is that with the amount of cameras and microphones on the modern player they have toned things down a certain degree.
“That is the way the game has gone and the modern player understands his role in society as a role-model and showing the right way to play the game and for kids to aspire to play the same way.
“All the surveys and talking we've done with umpires and others, it had got to the stage where something needed to be done.”
The red cards will be dished out to players who, threaten an umpire, physically assault another player, umpire, official or spectator, and for any other act of violence on the field of play.
As former England skipper and chair of the committee Mike Brearley added: “I think of it as a game that is played hard but fair, and that doesn't mean hitting someone over the head with a cricket bat or punching them.
“This is to cover the most extreme violence cases on the pitch.
“Anecdotal evidence says that behaviour has got a lot worse and in cricket the umpire must be respected and given the best possible chance to do their job.
“Cricket is the only game without the possibility of an 'in-game deterrent', and this addresses that.”
The committee have also introduced restrictions on bat sizes with some players having huge depths and edges to their bats which must now be capped at 40mm on the edges and 67mm in depth.
Meeting in Mumbai ahead of the fourth Test between India and England the committee, that also includes Jimmy Adams, Sourav Ganguly and Rod Marsh among others, also discussed making T20 cricket an Olympic sport, keeping the ball-tampering law the same and changing the law so that a close in fielder can now take a catch even if the ball hits their helmet.
0 comments: