Harsh penalties promised by ICC
BALL-TAMPERING: WORLD BODY VOWS TO TAKE ACTION
The International Cricket Council (ICC) has asked an internal panel to suggest harsher punishment for ball-tampering and other misbehaviour by players in its bid to establish a “culture of respect”, chief executive Dave Richardson said this week.
The game’s image was sullied in Cape Town last month when Australian batsman Cameron Bancroft was caught on camera tampering with the ball during the third Test of the ill-tempered series against South Africa.
Bancroft, then captain Steve Smith and opener David Warner, were promptly sent home and handed hefty bans by Cricket Australia.
Addressing a news conference after an ICC board meeting, Richardson said the punishments under its code of conduct for such misbehaviour were inadequate.
“We want to move towards stricter and heavier sanction for ball-tampering and all other offences that are indicative of a lack of respect for your opponent, for the game, for the umpire, for fans, for the media etc,” he said.
“We want penalties in place which act as proper deterrent. Fines are not proving to be the answer.”
ICC’s Cricket Committee, chaired by former Indian captain Anil Kumble, will review the current ICC code of conduct and recommend suitable punishments for rogue behaviour.
“We’ve got the spirit of cricket in the laws but we need to define it in the modern day and age,” Richardson, a former South African wicketkeeper, said.
“Both the CEC (Chief Executives’s Committee) and the board were very supportive of trying to develop a culture of respect across the game, both on the field and off the field.”
Borrowing football’s red and yellow cards and handing out instant punishment would be considered, though Richardson was sceptical about the idea of using cards.
“Whether we introduce red or yellow cards, we’d leave it to the committee. I’m not convinced it would be as easy to implement as it is in other sports.”
The quarterly ICC meeting acknowledged Twenty20 cricket as the vehicle to globalise the English game, deciding to grant international status to all 20-overs matches between its members.
The body approved a new Future Tours Programme for the 2019 to 2023 cycle, which replaces the 2021 Champions Trophy with a World Twenty20, less than a year after Australia hosts the 2020 edition.