Lawmakers take the long handle to big bats, dissent
International cricket has passed new laws that will limit the massive bats currently being used by some of the game’s stars.
The bat changes are among several law changes issued by the MCC, including Mankad dismissals, penalty runs and send-offs. The laws will be introduced in October .
The reduction in bat size is to ‘‘redress the balance between bat and ball’’ in the game and will force many international players to seek new pieces of willow.
The new maximum permitted dimensions of a cricket bat will be 108mm in width, 67mm in depth with 40mm edges. There will be a ‘‘moratorium period’’ for amateur cricketers.
‘‘The bat size issue has been heavily scrutinised and discussed in recent years,’’ the MCC’S head of cricket John Stephenson said. ’’We believe the maximum dimensions we have set will help redress the balance between bat and ball, while still allowing the explosive, big hitting we all enjoy.’’
The bat changes were recommended last July by the MCC’S world cricket committee, which includes Ricky Ponting, Kumar Sangakkara, Sourav Ganguly and Rod Marsh.
The MCC has also announced a change to protect batsmen from ‘bouncing bat’ run outs.
Once a batsman has grounded their bat beyond the popping crease but their ‘‘continued forward momentum towards the stumps’’ results in the willow losing contact with safe territory when the wicket is put down, the batsman will not be run out.
The change to the ‘Mankad’ rule, will see the controversial dismissal easier to execute.
Under the proposed change, if the non-striker is out of their crease ‘‘from the moment the ball comes into play to the instant when the bowler would normally have been expected to release the ball’’, the bowler will be within their rights to run them out.
The current version of the MCC Law states the bowler is permitted, before entering his delivery stride, to attempt to run out the nonstriker. The change allows bowlers more leeway and means the nonstrikers will need to be more vigilant when backing up.
Umpires have also been granted new powers to remove players from the field or award penalty runs in a bid to prevent poor player behaviour.
Four levels with differing severity for offences have been laid out as guidelines for on-field officials, ranging from excessive appealing and dissent at the lower end of the scale, to physical violence at the highest end.
Umpires will be able to award five penalty runs for less serious offences, and send players either permanently or temporarily off the ground for more threatening ones.
‘‘We felt the time had come to introduce sanctions for poor player behaviour,’’ Stephenson said.