Sanz
Hall of Fame Member
ICC agrees to bold makeover
By Christopher Martin-Jenkins, Chief Cricket Correspondent
IT IS cricket, but not as we know it. In an attempt to introduce more excitement, the world governing body has agreed significant changes to the format of the game.
Rather than accepting that there are far too many one-day internationals played around the world, the stance of the International Cricket Council (ICC) seems to be that, if the product is going stale, the answer is to give it bright new packaging. If approved, the new initiatives will become common to all internationals for at least a year from July and probably will be used in the 2007 World Cup.
In future, teams in one-day international cricket will be able to make tactical use of a substitute to bat and to bowl and there will be only ten overs with fielding restrictions at the start of each innings; but the number of fielders allowed outside the 30-yard circle will be limited for a further ten overs, to be nominated in five-over sequences at times that suit the fielding captain.
The proposals, by Sunil Gavaskar’s 12-man cricket committee, made at a meeting in Dubai — with significant input from present international players who feel that matches have become too stereotyped under present regulations — are sure to be rubber-stamped by the ICC executive committee when it meets next month. One-day captains, already hard pressed in limited-overs cricket, are going to be even more stretched in tense situations, especially in deciding when or if to substitute a player.
Only one substitute per team will be nominated to replace any player at any stage of a match, but the batsman or bowler replaced will then be ruled out for the remainder of the match.
Both the substitute and the original member of the XI will receive a cap and the replacement can be made at any stage of the match.
Thus, not only might a bowler bowl ten overs and appear no more, but if a batting team get into early trouble, they could use a batting substitute, so long as he was the player nominated at the outset.
In practice, most teams are likely to choose as their “super sub” a dashing utility player who can bowl a bit, field like a demon and hit the ball hard.
Taking a further significant step towards umpiring by television technology, the cricket committee also recommended that, throughout the self-styled “Super Series” six-day match between Australia and the Rest of the World in October, the umpires on the field should be able to refer any decision they wish, except disputed low catches, to the third umpire. Such awkward decisions as whether a bat-pad appeal is genuine or whether balls have pitched, or struck the pad, in line with the stumps in close leg-before appeals may be referred to television replays and relayed to the umpire in the middle.
In last year’s Champions Trophy, the ICC experimented successfully with communication in the other direction when the television umpire notified the umpire on the field if a no-ball had been bowled.
This could lead to much greater use of cameras and other television gadgetry, notably Hawkeye, the device that tracks the predicted path of the ball after it has pitched, for all televised matches. The proposal of Duncan Fletcher, the England coach, that, instead, each team should be given a limited number of opportunities to refer an umpire’s decision to television replay evidence was rejected on the ground that it would alter the time-honoured convention that cricketers should not question the umpire’s decision.
The cricket committee also considered submissions from MCC and manufacturers on the composition, colour, size and cover of cricket bats and set up a sub-committee to discuss the details further, including whether the use of carbon graphite in the brand of bat used by, among others, Ricky Ponting, the Australia captain, gives any extra advantage. The law states at present that bats must be made of wood and the committee reiterated yesterday that “the blade should be made of a single piece of solid wood”.
THE MAIN POINTS
One-day fielding restrictions should apply for the first ten overs of every innings, with two additional blocks of five overs to be applied through the course of an innings at the discretion of the fielding team’s captain.
The introduction of substitutes for one-day international cricket, wherein a player could be replaced at any stage of a match but would then be ruled out for the remainder of the match.
A trial will be undertaken at the Super Series in Australia in October to allow on-field umpires to refer any decision except low catches to the TV umpire.
http://www.timesonline.co.uk/article/0,,426-1616817,00.html
By Christopher Martin-Jenkins, Chief Cricket Correspondent
IT IS cricket, but not as we know it. In an attempt to introduce more excitement, the world governing body has agreed significant changes to the format of the game.
Rather than accepting that there are far too many one-day internationals played around the world, the stance of the International Cricket Council (ICC) seems to be that, if the product is going stale, the answer is to give it bright new packaging. If approved, the new initiatives will become common to all internationals for at least a year from July and probably will be used in the 2007 World Cup.
In future, teams in one-day international cricket will be able to make tactical use of a substitute to bat and to bowl and there will be only ten overs with fielding restrictions at the start of each innings; but the number of fielders allowed outside the 30-yard circle will be limited for a further ten overs, to be nominated in five-over sequences at times that suit the fielding captain.
The proposals, by Sunil Gavaskar’s 12-man cricket committee, made at a meeting in Dubai — with significant input from present international players who feel that matches have become too stereotyped under present regulations — are sure to be rubber-stamped by the ICC executive committee when it meets next month. One-day captains, already hard pressed in limited-overs cricket, are going to be even more stretched in tense situations, especially in deciding when or if to substitute a player.
Only one substitute per team will be nominated to replace any player at any stage of a match, but the batsman or bowler replaced will then be ruled out for the remainder of the match.
Both the substitute and the original member of the XI will receive a cap and the replacement can be made at any stage of the match.
Thus, not only might a bowler bowl ten overs and appear no more, but if a batting team get into early trouble, they could use a batting substitute, so long as he was the player nominated at the outset.
In practice, most teams are likely to choose as their “super sub” a dashing utility player who can bowl a bit, field like a demon and hit the ball hard.
Taking a further significant step towards umpiring by television technology, the cricket committee also recommended that, throughout the self-styled “Super Series” six-day match between Australia and the Rest of the World in October, the umpires on the field should be able to refer any decision they wish, except disputed low catches, to the third umpire. Such awkward decisions as whether a bat-pad appeal is genuine or whether balls have pitched, or struck the pad, in line with the stumps in close leg-before appeals may be referred to television replays and relayed to the umpire in the middle.
In last year’s Champions Trophy, the ICC experimented successfully with communication in the other direction when the television umpire notified the umpire on the field if a no-ball had been bowled.
This could lead to much greater use of cameras and other television gadgetry, notably Hawkeye, the device that tracks the predicted path of the ball after it has pitched, for all televised matches. The proposal of Duncan Fletcher, the England coach, that, instead, each team should be given a limited number of opportunities to refer an umpire’s decision to television replay evidence was rejected on the ground that it would alter the time-honoured convention that cricketers should not question the umpire’s decision.
The cricket committee also considered submissions from MCC and manufacturers on the composition, colour, size and cover of cricket bats and set up a sub-committee to discuss the details further, including whether the use of carbon graphite in the brand of bat used by, among others, Ricky Ponting, the Australia captain, gives any extra advantage. The law states at present that bats must be made of wood and the committee reiterated yesterday that “the blade should be made of a single piece of solid wood”.
THE MAIN POINTS
One-day fielding restrictions should apply for the first ten overs of every innings, with two additional blocks of five overs to be applied through the course of an innings at the discretion of the fielding team’s captain.
The introduction of substitutes for one-day international cricket, wherein a player could be replaced at any stage of a match but would then be ruled out for the remainder of the match.
A trial will be undertaken at the Super Series in Australia in October to allow on-field umpires to refer any decision except low catches to the TV umpire.
http://www.timesonline.co.uk/article/0,,426-1616817,00.html
