ICC goes tougher on ball tampering incidents; extends ban of minimum six Tests or 12 ODIs

NewsBharati    03-Jul-2018
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Dubai, July 3: With an aim to preserve the value of international cricket and its status, the International Cricket Council has decided to impose a ban of minimum six Tests or 12 One-Day Internationals (ODIs) on ball tampering offenders as it has now been upgraded as a Level 3 offence as per it's new code of conduct.

 

Notably, the decision was taken at its Annual Conference in Dublin which concluded late on Monday. In a statement, the ICC said, “The maximum sanction for a Level 3 offence has been increased from 8 suspension points to 12 suspension points (equivalent to 6 Test matches or 12 ODIs).”

“Match referees will now hear Level 1, 2 and 3 charges with a Judicial Commissioner only hearing Level 4 charges and appeals. Players or support staff wanting to appeal a decision will now be required to lodge an appeal fee in advance which will be fully refundable if the appeal is successful,” the ICC said.

Another significant development is the sanction on a number of private Twenty20 International (T20I) leagues that a player might be allowed to participate so that there is no compromise when it comes to national duty. However, the most significant development certainly was tougher sanctions for poor player behaviour.

ICC in a statement further said, “Stump microphone guidelines will also be changed to allow the stump microphone audio to be broadcast at any time, including when the ball is dead.”

Meanwhile, ICC wants to reign in on T20 freelancers who are trading national duty in order to play domestic leagues. While ICC didn't clarify how many leagues a player can take part, it is understood to be not more than 3.

The decision from ICC comes after two recent incidents of ball tampering involving Steve Smith, David Warner and Dinesh Chandimal.