On Monday, the Marylebone Cricket Club (MCC) announced an official limit on bat sizes. After the new Code is issued on October 1, 2017, the maximum dimensions of a cricket bat will be 108mm in width, 67mm in depth with 40mm edges.
The MCC said that the new law was issued to “redress the balance between bat and ball” in cricket. The rule will cater to both sexes and will be implemented in professional matches. Australia vice-captain David Warner is one top player whose bat will be outlawed under the new rule.
In another major development, umpires will soon be able to ban players from cricket matches for bad behaviour. The umpires will now have the power to sanction players depending on how bad the behaviour was, with levels of punishment ranging from a warning as a level 1 offence, to the opposing team be awarded five penalty runs as level 2.
However, if the matter escalates further, a player can be temporary or permanently removed from the game. If the player is batting at the time of the offence, then he or she will be ‘retired out’. However, if the player is fielding or bowling, he will have to sit out through the game with the team down to 10 players.
Poor on-field behaviour can judged by excessive appealing, making contact with players or officials or intimidation. “We felt the time had come to introduce sanctions for poor player behaviour and research told us that a growing number of umpires at grass roots level were leaving the game because of it,” John Stephenson, the MCC’s head of cricket, said. “Hopefully these sanctions will give them more confidence to handle disciplinary issues efficiently, whilst providing a deterrent to the players.”
However, the International Cricket Council (ICC) is yet to accept the amendments. if the ICC accepts all the law amendments, which MCC said they expected them to do, an international cricketer could be sent off the field. This will be the first time new Code of Laws have been written since 2000.