ICC acts after ‘worst’ behaviour
THE International Cricket Council is launching a worldwide review of player conduct after Cricket Australia imposed 12-month bans on Test captain Steve Smith and vice-captain David Warner for their roles in the ball tampering scandal.
ICC chief executive David Richardson said last night: “We’ve seen a number of incidents of poor player behaviour in recent weeks which has included ugly sledging, sendoffs, dissent against umpires’ decisions, a walk-off and ball tampering.”
Richardson said recent weeks have been “one of the worst periods in recent memory for consistently poor player behaviour and the global outcry in relation to the ball tampering is a clear message to cricket: enough is enough.”
The ICC will invite respected ex-internationals to join a panel to review the existing code of conduct in a bid to clarify and define what is expected of players.
It could result in changes to the way some misdeeds are punished.
Richardson suggested player behaviour was already on the agenda at a series of ICC meetings in April, but the recent scandal resulted in “additional urgency”.
“This is an opportunity for us to draw a line in the sand and say quite clearly fans are concerned about the way the game is played,” Richardson said. “The reaction ... all around the world shows us that if we neglect the way the game is played, cricket is itself in danger.
“That definition of ‘it’s just not cricket’, well, we’ve got an obligation to make sure that still becomes a relevant phrase in the English language.”