Over the course of the winter, umpires throughout Hampshire and across the country have been receiving extensive training to help them deal with the many changes that have been made to the Laws of Cricket and which will apply from the scheduled start of the new Southern Premier League season next Saturday.
Many of the changes are minor or cosmetic but some are not. The MCC has particularly sought to address poor player conduct and penalties for offences have generally become more severe with the number of ‘warnings’ issued under the Laws being minimised. Other changes bring established practice into the Laws rather than playing regulations.
The major changes include:-
• Byes and Leg Byes off a No Ball will be credited as such, rather than as No Ball extras
• If a fielder leaves the field, Penalty time equivalent to the total time spent off the field, which is the time he/she will have to spend on the field before being able to bowl or, if the innings ended meanwhile, bat, or wait until there are 5 wickets down. (15 minute grace period has gone). Maximum penalty time of 90 minutes
• In the event of an injured batsman having a runner, the runner at the striker’s end must have some part of his/her person or bat behind the popping crease until the ball reaches the striker. (Otherwise runs are disallowed as per the method for Leg Byes)
• The helmet is now considered part of the fielder’s person, a ball can be caught after it strikes or lodges in a helmet which is being worn by a fielder or the wicket-keeper, also a batsman may be run out or stumped following the ball making contact with the helmet worn by a fielder
• ‘Obstructing the Field’ now incorporates ‘Handled the Ball’. This will have no effect on whether a batsman is dismissed; rather, it is just the method of dismissal that might be changed.
• The words ‘deceive’ and ‘deception’ have been added to the Laws to cover both mock fielding and any other act which deliberately aims to deceive the batting side. Penalty runs and other sanctions will be incurred for such actions.
• For non-pitching deliveries, all deliveries, irrespective of their speed, which pass above waist height of the upright striker are to trigger sanctions which consist of a first and final warning. Any subsequent such delivery will result in the bowler being suspended from bowling for the rest of the innings.
• For short pitched deliveries, once an umpire decides that a short pitched delivery is dangerous or unfair, a first and final warning will be issued. Any subsequent such delivery will result in the bowler being suspended from bowling for the rest of the innings.
• A new Clause has been added to stop a striker taking guard within the protected area or very close to it.
• The Law that enables the bowler to run out the non-striker before delivery has been changed extending the point at which the run out of the non-striker can be attempted to the instant at which the bowler would be expected to deliver the ball.
• A new Law that deals specifically with players’ misconduct is introduced requiring Umpires to take action depending upon the nature of an offence. Sanctions range from the issue of a team warning through the award of penalty runs, to the removal of a player from the field of play for either a prescribed length of time or for the whole of the match.
More details can be found on a short video provided by the ECB that is available here: www.ecb.co.uk/be-involved/officials/resources
Many of the changes are minor or cosmetic but some are not. The MCC has particularly sought to address poor player conduct and penalties for offences have generally become more severe with the number of ‘warnings’ issued under the Laws being minimised. Other changes bring established practice into the Laws rather than playing regulations.
The major changes include:-
• Byes and Leg Byes off a No Ball will be credited as such, rather than as No Ball extras
• If a fielder leaves the field, Penalty time equivalent to the total time spent off the field, which is the time he/she will have to spend on the field before being able to bowl or, if the innings ended meanwhile, bat, or wait until there are 5 wickets down. (15 minute grace period has gone). Maximum penalty time of 90 minutes
• In the event of an injured batsman having a runner, the runner at the striker’s end must have some part of his/her person or bat behind the popping crease until the ball reaches the striker. (Otherwise runs are disallowed as per the method for Leg Byes)
• The helmet is now considered part of the fielder’s person, a ball can be caught after it strikes or lodges in a helmet which is being worn by a fielder or the wicket-keeper, also a batsman may be run out or stumped following the ball making contact with the helmet worn by a fielder
• ‘Obstructing the Field’ now incorporates ‘Handled the Ball’. This will have no effect on whether a batsman is dismissed; rather, it is just the method of dismissal that might be changed.
• The words ‘deceive’ and ‘deception’ have been added to the Laws to cover both mock fielding and any other act which deliberately aims to deceive the batting side. Penalty runs and other sanctions will be incurred for such actions.
• For non-pitching deliveries, all deliveries, irrespective of their speed, which pass above waist height of the upright striker are to trigger sanctions which consist of a first and final warning. Any subsequent such delivery will result in the bowler being suspended from bowling for the rest of the innings.
• For short pitched deliveries, once an umpire decides that a short pitched delivery is dangerous or unfair, a first and final warning will be issued. Any subsequent such delivery will result in the bowler being suspended from bowling for the rest of the innings.
• A new Clause has been added to stop a striker taking guard within the protected area or very close to it.
• The Law that enables the bowler to run out the non-striker before delivery has been changed extending the point at which the run out of the non-striker can be attempted to the instant at which the bowler would be expected to deliver the ball.
• A new Law that deals specifically with players’ misconduct is introduced requiring Umpires to take action depending upon the nature of an offence. Sanctions range from the issue of a team warning through the award of penalty runs, to the removal of a player from the field of play for either a prescribed length of time or for the whole of the match.
More details can be found on a short video provided by the ECB that is available here: www.ecb.co.uk/be-involved/officials/resources
