Cricket’s new red card
Players could be sent off for the first time in cricket, starting with Test matches in SA and the United Arab Emirates, as new regulations come into force.
Changes governing umpire referrals and bat sizes would also come into force on Thursday when SA host Bangladesh and Sri Lanka play Pakistan in Abu Dhabi, said the International Cricket Council.
The Decision Review System (DRS) — in which a TV umpire reviews decisions made by umpires on the field — will be allowed in Twenty20 internationals after its success in Test and one-day matches.
Under the new rules, a player can now be sent off for serious misconduct. This could include threatening to assault an umpire, making inappropriate and deliberate physical contact with an umpire, assaulting a player or any other person and any other act of violence.
There are also new restrictions on the size of bat edges and thickness. The length and width of bats are unchanged, but the edges cannot be more than 40mm thick and the overall depth is limited to 67mm.