ICC to scrap Supersub rule

The ICC will propose putting an end to the controversial Supersub rule in one-day cricket when they meet in Dubai in the forthcoming month.

These recommendations follow a Chief Executives Committee (CEC) meeting, where the general upgrading of ICC events and issues such as the next World Cup events were discussed. The committee proposed World Cup events in 2011 and 2015, as well as an Under-19 World Cup in 2008, 2010, 2012 and 2014. It also suggested that there should be a Women’s World Cup in 2009 and 2013.

According to David Richardson, the ICC general manager, the rule was not achieving its original aims. “The intention of Sunil Gavaskar and the panel of former players on the ICC cricket committee which recommended the trial of this playing condition was to encourage teams to make greater use of allrounders in the ODI game,” he said.

“In practice, teams have elected to nominate a specialist player as the substitute and this is placing undue importance on winning the toss. The proposal that the playing condition be discontinued has been endorsed by the CEC and will now go to the board for ratification.”

If the Supersub rule recommendation is accepted by the board, any series that start after March 21st 2006 will no longer have the condition.

On the subject of the forthcoming ICC events, the ICC chief executive, Malcolm Speed, said, “The ICC has worked hard to provide its members with flexibility in the scheduling of international cricket and these formats have been proposed with the aim of striking a good balance with the Future Tours Program (FTP) of bi-lateral series between nations.”

“These proposals now endorsed by the CEC provide the executive board with the option of including Twenty20 cricket on the international cricket calendar and revamping the Champions Trophy to provide a shorter, sharper event.”

The proposed Twenty 20 tournaments would be played at different intervals throughout the year, to ease pressure on teams, and be played in a variety of venues to further ease the problem.

An item that is likely to be discussed by the ICC in their next general meeting is the fielding restrictions condition. The meeting is due to be in April.