Minor changes to Decision Review System on the cards

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The International Cricket Council Cricket Committee has made a number of recommendations following its annual meeting held in London on 23 and 24 May.

The Committee expressed unanimous support for the implementation of a Test cricket competition deeming that context was crucial to the future of international cricket. It also reiterated its full support for cricket being involved in the Olympic Games.

The Committee, chaired by India coach Anil Kumble, will recommend to the ICC Chief Executives’ Committee that DRS should be able to be used in all T20 International games. A further recommendation proposes that teams will not lose a review when an LBW review comes back as Umpire’s Call. However, should that be adopted, the 80 over top-up of reviews in Test cricket would be removed.

The Cricket Committee also considered the new Laws of Cricket (2017 Code) and has recommended the adoption of the majority of the changes to the Laws, most significantly giving umpires the power to send off players from the field in response to the most serious incidents of player misconduct, such as violence on the field. All other offences would continue to be dealt with under the ICC Code of Conduct.

Other major changes to the Laws that will be adopted by the ICC are the restriction on bat dimensions (thickness of edges and depth of bat), and that a batsman will have made his or her ground when a bat bounces after being grounded behind the crease by a running or diving batsman.

If the ICC Chief Executives’ Committee approves these recommended changes, the new ICC playing conditions will come into effect from 1 October.

A presentation on the findings of the No Ball trial held in England during the ODI series against Pakistan last year was given to the Committee, which recommended that the third umpire should call all No Balls in international matches using instant replays.

The issue of concussion substitutes was revisited by the Committee again and it will recommend to the Chief Executives’ Committee that the Classification of Official Cricket be amended to allow Members to run a two year trial into the use of concussion substitutes.

Anil Kumble, Chair of the Cricket Committee said: “We have had a wonderful couple of days discussing cricket issues and there are a number of highlights. The first is around the structure of international cricket and the Committee unanimously recommended that context in the international game is paramount and we welcome the new structure.

“The second is around the new Laws of the game introduced by the MCC and we have adopted the majority of those including the size of bats and this will help the balance between bat and ball. On DRS, MIT have finished their testing of all of the tools available and their recommendations have been adopted as far as calibration is concerned. All in all a very fruitful two days.”

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