Dubai , 7 May 2008Two-day meeting concludes; recommendations made on issues including the overall cricket landscape, details of the umpire review system to be trialed in a Test series later this year and proposed changes to playing conditions in all cricket
The ICC Cricket Committee concluded its two-day meeting in Dubai on Tuesday evening.
The group was chaired by former India captain and ICC Cricket World Cup winner Sunil Gavaskar and included former Australia captain Mark Taylor, South Africa coach Mickey Arthur and Michael Holding, the ex-West Indies fast bowler.
It also featured Umpire of the Year Simon Taufel, chief ICC match referee and former Sri Lanka captain Ranjan Madugalle , Kenya skipper Steve Tikolo, Pakistan great Majid Khan and Tim May, former Australia off-spinner and the Chief Executive Officer of the Federation of International Cricketers’ Associations.
The ICC Cricket Committee is empowered to make recommendations which then go forward to the Chief Executives’ Committee (CEC) for approval. If that approval is forthcoming then the decisions can be ratified at the ICC Board.
As such, any recommendations made by the ICC Cricket Committee will not take effect unless they are ratified and/or approved by CEC and the Board.
Both CEC and the ICC Board are scheduled to meet in Dubai from 29 June.
The following were among the issues covered by the ICC Cricket Committee:
The cricket landscape
The ICC Cricket Committee held an in-depth and lengthy debate about the current cricket landscape in light of the fact that there are now three viable forms of the game at international level (Tests, ODIs and Twenty20 Internationals). The committee agreed that there was a strong need to identify and maintain a balance between the three formats so that all of them could continue to thrive.
It identified Test cricket as the pinnacle of the sport and expressed the need for the best available participants (players, umpires, referees etc) to be involved in international cricket.
While accepting the need for a minimum requirement in terms of numbers of ODIs, Twenty20 Internationals and Tests between all teams, the committee stressed the need to protect icon series.
The committee also recommended that further thought be given to the introduction of a Test league or periodic play-off for the top two sides in the Reliance Mobile Test Championship table.
Umpire review system
In March, the ICC Board approved the trialing of an umpire review system during a Test series to take place this year. Following a lengthy discussion on this subject, the ICC Cricket Committee agreed a proposed set of playing conditions for the trial. The main elements of the playing conditions should include:
Umpires should still be permitted to refer line decisions or boundaries to the third umpire as normal without a player requesting him to refer that decision
The players should be permitted to ask the on-field umpire to review any aspect of any other decision in consultation with the third umpire
Each team should be limited to a maximum of three unsuccessful referrals per innings
The process should take the form and order of: on-field umpire gives his decision; affected batsman or fielding side’s captain asks the umpire to review that decision; the on-field umpire(s) and third umpire consult; the on-field umpire gives his final decision
The committee recommended that Hawk Eye technology could be used by the third umpire but only for the purposes of determining the actual path of the ball up until the point that it struck the batsman and not the predictor function of the technology
The Test series that will be used for the trial will be announced in due course.
Changes to playing conditions
The ICC Cricket Committee has recommended:
Substitute fielders should only be permitted in cases of injury, illness or other wholly acceptable reasons. It was the opinion of the committee that “wholly acceptable reasons” should be limited to extreme circumstances and should not include what is commonly referred to as a “comfort break”
In ODIs, the timing of one Powerplay should be decided by the batting side and three fielders should be permitted outside the fielding restriction circles for both the second and third Powerplays
The on-field umpires should be permitted to consult the third umpire as to whether a catch has been taken cleanly before making the final decision themselves
The bowl-out in the event of a tie in the ICC World Twenty20 or ICC Champions Trophy should be replaced by a one-over-per-team play-off
These proposed amendments to the playing conditions, if approved, will come into effect at the ICC Champions Trophy 2008, which will be held in Pakistan from 11 to 28 September.
Research
The committee noted current over-rates in international cricket and commissioned research into the reasons behind current levels in both Tests and ODIs. It also noted the research provided in respect of the volume of cricket being played by international players as compared to players from years gone by.
It also noted the progress made on the joint-research being carried out by the ICC and the MCC in relation to bad light. It confirmed the objectives of such research to be to provide umpires with an effective means of measuring light, together with guidelines of what would be considered appropriate light for play at international level and to determine appropriate artificial lighting conditions for play with red, white or pink balls.
Note: The remit of the ICC Cricket Committee is to discuss and consult on any cricket-playing matters and to formulate recommendations to the CEC which relate to cricket-playing matters.
MEDIA NOTE – Photos of the meeting are available from official ICC photographer Getty Images. Television set-up shots and short interviews with some of the delegates are available from SNTV. Please contact your usual contacts in Getty or SNTV for access details. Audio interviews are also available for free download from the ICC website, http://www.icc-cricket.com/.
The ICC Cricket Committee (and the interests from which its members are drawn) is made up of the following people:
Chairman – Sunil Gavaskar (former India captain)
Past players (two) – Majid Khan (the former Pakistan captain is standing in for Ian Bishop, the former West Indies fast bowler, who is not available) and Mark Taylor (ex-Australia captain)
Representatives of current players (two) – Kumar Sangakkara (who provided written comments which were read out and taken into consideration. Kumar was unable to attend the meeting due to his playing commitments) and Tim May (ex-Australia off-spinner, ICC Cricket World Cup winner in 1987 and now Chief Executive Officer of the Federation of International Cricketers’ Associations)
Full Member team coach representative (one) – Mickey Arthur ( South Africa coach)
Member Board representative (one) – Duleep Mendis (former Sri Lanka captain and now SLC Chief Executive)
Associate representative (one) – Steve Tikolo ( Kenya captain)
Media representative (one) – Michael Holding (former West Indies fast bowler and now commentator for British TV station Sky Sports)
Umpires’ representative (one) – Simon Taufel (member of the Emirates Elite Panel and named Umpire of the Year four times in a row at the ICC Awards)
Referees’ representative (one) – Ranjan Madugalle (ICC chief match referee and former Sri Lanka captain)
Marylebone Cricket Club representative (one) – Keith Bradshaw (MCC Secretary and Chief Executive; former first-class cricketer for Tasmania in Australia . MCC is the custodian of the Laws of Cricket)
Statistician (one) – David Kendix (a statistician/scorer and the man responsible for the creation and development of the Reliance Mobile ICC Rankings)
ICC MEDIA RELEASE