Violent players to get red card
RED CARDS will be introduced to cricket for the first time in an attempt to deter on-field violence.
In one of the most radical moves in the 228 years since the Laws of Cricket were drawn up by the MCC, umpires will be able to send off players for a range of violent behaviour.
The rule change, announced by the MCC World Cricket Committee in Mumbai yesterday, will come into force from October 1 next year and will apply to all levels of the sport, from club cricket to Test matches.
Although there have been several flashpoints in the professional game, the decision to introduce red cards was principally made to try to stamp out an increase in violence at the recreational level of the sport.
Under the new laws, players will be red-carded for threatening an umpire, physically attacking another player, umpire or spectator or any other act of violence on the field.
From the point they are sent off, the player will miss the rest of the match.
If a Test cricketer was redcarded on the first morning of a game, his team would have to play with 10 men from then on. There would be no further suspension.
The move has come after countless incidents of violence at club level.
Last summer a bowler was punched unconscious and a man arrested when a club match between Swindon Civil Service and Beanacre & Melksham descended into a fight.
Mike Brearley, the former England captain who is chairman of the MCC World Cricket Committee, said: “This is to cover the most extreme cases. In a survey done with umpires, 40 per cent of them said they’d considered giving up because of abuse.
“Anecdotal evidence from people who are familiar with leagues in parts of England tells us that the behaviour has got a lot worse. Umpires have to be respected and given the best possible chance.”
John Stephenson, the MCC’s head of cricket, said: “It’s the only sport apart from Aussie Rules where there’s no ability for an umpire to send a player off for violent behaviour, so we felt it was time to address it.”
The MCC’s World Cricket Committee is made up of 12 former players and officials who review any changes. Members include former Australia captain Ricky Ponting and Ramiz Raja, the ex-Pakistan skipper. Raja said: “This is pretty drastic. It’s the second or third tier which is causing a lot of stress, club games. It was felt something had to be done.”
Ponting said: “The reason we’re talking about making significant change to lowerlevel cricket is because it’s got completely out of hand down there.” The MCC trialled the use of red cards last summer in three Premier Leagues in England, MCC University matches and some schools matches. There were no reports of red cards.
Sledging and other kinds of on-field verbal altercations will not be covered by the new rule.
The MCC, guardians of the game’s laws, did explore the possibility of issuing yellow cards for such offences but decided it would be too difficult to implement consistently.
One other significant change is the introduction of a limit to the size of bats to cut down on players edging balls for six. The edge thickness of some bats now exceeds 50mm but the maximum will be set at 40mm from next October.
WHEN IT ALL BOILED OVER…
Behaviour has got a lot worse
ALASTAIR COOK says his authority as England captain was not undermined by Trevor Bayliss’s statement this week that he needs to “step up to the mark” to remind his players to bat positively.
Speaking ahead of the fourth Test in Mumbai, which started today, coach Bayliss said: “Probably over the last few series, Cooky has taken on more of a role there, which has been great, but it is time I stepped up to the mark to just remind them of how we played when we have played well.”
Cook’s team are 2-0 down against India heading into the final two Tests and were accused of batting too defensively during defeats in Visakhapatnam and Mohali.
But Cook, whose place as England skipper is in doubt beyond this series, does not feel Bayliss has undermined him.
“It was a message I knew was coming out,” said Cook, right. “As part of the leadership group, alongside Trevor and a couple of coaches, we sat down at the end of that last Test and discussed how we wanted to play and what had happened from our first game when we scored at three-andhalf runs an over at Rajkot and played really well. “So after chatting, I think it was a clear message we wanted to play a little bit more aggressively, with a bit more intent. It wasn’t just Trevor saying it. I was part of the conversation and I agree with what he said.” Asked if he shared a similar cricketing philosophy to Bayliss, Cook said: “Yes.”