Are red cards coming to cricket?

The Merylebone Cricket Club (MCC) has announced that it will trial new disciplinary measures to ensure player’s behaviour during matches.

According to reports, the cricket establishment is unhappy with the declining standard of player’s behaviour, and is looking for ideas to deal with different situations.

Leagues, schools and MCC Universities in the UK are being invited to take part in the trials during the upcoming northern hemisphere summer, the MCC said in a statement released Wednesday.



Umpires will use a grading of offences from level 1 to level 4, which will empower umpire to take different on-field decisions and not to wait for the conclusion of the match.

The decision comes after a worldwide consultation in 2015, where MCC found that umpires felt they would be better empowered to deal with on-field troublemakers if they could take action during the match, rather than retrospectively.



A report soon to be distributed to leagues, umpire associations, schools and universities states: "There is clear evidence, both anecdotally and through increased reports via leagues, that the standards of player behaviour on the cricket field are declining worldwide.

"Whilst the majority of cricket is played in a competitive but fair spirit, there are some players, or even teams, whose behaviour is below what is expected for cricket. Indeed, five matches in the UK had to be abandoned in 2015, following outbreaks of violence."

According to the MCC announcement, the umpires will now have the authority to show the red card in case of player threatening umpires or any physical act of violence on the field.

Some trials of the yellow/red card system have already taken place in New Zealand, with evidence already pointing to reduction in player behaviour.

The MCC said it is encouraging flexibility around the on-field sanctions in the trials as it moves towards publishing a new Code of the Laws in October, 2017.

Other aspects of the laws being looked at include the Switch Hit, bat sizes and movement by fielders and the wicketkeeper.