ICC could set stricter punishments for sledging
The International Cricket Council (ICC) will hold a special meeting to take a wide-ranging view into player behaviour. The ICC wants to review the appropriateness of the current sanctions for offenses. Given the incidents in the recent past, it wants to be tough on players who bring disgrace to the sport. Stricter punishments could be set for sledging, send-offs, and dissent against umpiring decisions.
Code of conduct and player behaviour the focus
In a letter written to various boards, ICC CEO Richardson has stated that the cricket committee will define what is acceptable behaviour for the benefit of players and match officials. With the disciplinary code set to be tweaked, Dave has also sought consistency around the enforcement of the same. It will focus on the code of conduct and development of the spirit of cricket.
Recent instances of ICC's inconsistent decisions
The cricket fraternity has seen a series of inconsistent decisions from the ICC in the recent past. Shakib Al Hasan was only fined for asking his players to abandon the game midway. Kagiso Rabada's ban for making contact with Smith was overturned on appeal. Steve Smith got a one match ban for his role in ball-tampering but David Warner did not.
ICC puts focus on 'today'
According to the ICC, the existing code has served the sport well for a number of years. But the focus is in relation to the game today and that, in turn, is the purpose of the review.
