MCC'S TAKE

MCC worried about falling standards in players' behaviour

by Cricbuzz Staff • Published on

The series has been in the news for all the wrong reasons. © Getty

Marylebone Cricket Club (MCC), the safe-keeper of the laws of the game and spirit of cricket, didn't keep the shutters down for long on their reaction towards the Newlands ball-tampering saga, engineered by Australia's 'leadership group' on Day 3 of the third Test against hosts South Africa. While the club's assistant secretary (cricket) John Stephenson lauded the efforts of the match officials in dealing swiftly with the matter, he expressed his disappointment too at the constant dropping standards of players' behaviour. "We welcome the swift action by the match officials, ICC and Cricket Australia in response to the admission of ball tampering by senior Australia players," Stephenson said on Monday (March 26).

Theongoing Test series had already been in the news for all wrong reasons, starting from the David Warner-Quinton de Kock stairwell brawl to complaints about crowd abuse pointed out by the Australians. It hit the nadir with the recent ball-tampering episode. Apart from this series, the recently concluded Nidahas Trophy - played between hosts Sri Lanka, India and Bangladesh, had its own share of drama when the Bangladesh skipper threatened to almost call his players off the field in one of the games.

"Law 41 also places upon the captains of both sides the responsibility for ensuring that play is carried out in accordance with the spirit of the game as well as within the Laws. The behaviour of some of the players in the current South Africa/Australia series, and other incidents in recent times in the game we all cherish, has fallen well below the standard required to inspire future generations of cricket-loving families," Stephenson pointed out.

The other worry that was highlighted in the Newlands ball-tampering episode was the way Cameron Bancroft was centered in the act. Given he's the youngest Test member in the team with just eight matches under his belt, the precedent set by the 'leadership group' in terms of educating the younger generation of players is blasphemous. Stephenson voiced his concern over the same and called for moral policing on the matter.

"The time has come for a major shift in attitude and culture of all those with responsibility for leadership within the game, to give young players the kind of role models who will uphold standards, preserve cricket and, vitally, the Spirit of Cricket for future generations."

A new law - Law 42 - was inducted into the laws of cricket in October 2017 to track unacceptable conduct. ICC though has adopted only the extreme part of the law which empowers the officials with the right to send off a player on grounds of 'poor behaviour'. Last week, ECB had taken a step forward and incorporated the law in toto into their domestic playing regulations.

As one of the chief architects of the sport, MCC will discuss the issue of 'player behavior' in its next MCC World Cricket Committee in London in August 2018.

© Cricbuzz

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