ICC TO CRACK DOWN ON ABUSE

CRICKET’S governing body vowed to get tough on bad behaviour yesterday but dismissed plans to abolish the toss in Test matches. There will be increased sanctions for ball-tampering and a new offence relating to personal abuse on the field if the International Cricket Council adopt proposals made by their cricket committee. The crackdown is a direct response to the increase in bad behaviour by international players which came to a head when Australia were caught in a ball-tampering scandal in South Africa in March. Yet the proposal to abolish the toss and give the away side the option of batting or bowling to negate home advantage in Tests was rejected. The cricket committee, who met in Mumbai, described the toss as ‘an integral part of Test cricket which forms part of the narrative of the game’. Meanwhile, Eoin Morgan should be fit to captain England in their one-day series against Australia next month despite having fractured a finger fielding for Middlesex on Sunday.