Umpires given more powers

Batsmen will no longer be consulted over the condition of light.

In a major reshuffle to the playing conditions, the Marylebone Cricket Club, the guardian of the laws of cricket, have decided that the umpires will no longer consult the batsmen over the condition of the light and will have the authority to decide if the light is suitable for batting or not.

Previously, the batsmen had the choice to walk off if the umpires offered them the light, an action that left the opposing captain questioning the rule.

In another change to the existing rules, it was decided that at least one umpire will now need to be in attendance when the toss took place and the winning captain would have to notify his counterpart of his decision immediately. Previously, captains could wait until ten minutes before the start of the game, but in some cases this was being exploited to the losing side’s disadvantage.

A new sub-section has been added to Law 29.1 to protect a batsman who is well in his ground. Despite being airborne when the stumps are broken, the batsman will be deemed not out if he has passed the stumps despite having his feet or bat not grounded. Also, if a batsman’s bat breaks in the act of playing a shot and the broken part of the bat hits the stumps, he will now be out.

A batsman, who damages the pitch, will now be given just one warning before penalty runs are issued, rather than two. Bowlers will also be prevented from bowling the ball into the ground to a teammate, which damages the ball and may waste time.

Published in The Express Tribune, October 1^st, 2010.