From not allowing saliva to shine the ball to allowing 'Mankad' method of dismissing batters, New Marylebone Cricket Club (MCC) has announced its new code of Laws for 2022, which will come into force from October 1.

From not allowing saliva to shine the ball to allowing 'Mankad' method of dismissing batters, New Marylebone Cricket Club (MCC) has announced its new code of Laws for 2022, which will come into force from October 1. The Lord's-based MCC has been the sole authority on the laws of cricket since it was founded in 1787. MCC said that the changes are intended to shape the game of cricket as it "should be played". Here are some significant changes announced by MCC: 'Mankad' Mankad' method of dismissing batters will not be listed under unfair play in new laws. The 'Mankad' method is one of the most controversial ways of dismissing a batter, with people debating over its usage considering the spirit of the game. It is used rarely but entirely permissible. The method involves the bowler stumping the batter who starts running from the bowler's end before the ball is fully thrown. ALSO READ | Body of Shane Warne remains in Thailand as Australia arranges to return home No saliva MCC has put a ban on the use of saliva to shine the ball. Apart from saliva, sweat has also been used by the cricketers for years to help bowlers generate more movement in the air as it travels towards batters. However, the new laws make permanent a ban on applying saliva to the ball due to health reasons. The ban was implemented when men's cricket resumed after a coronavirus (COVID-19) suspension in July 2020. "The new laws will not permit the use of saliva on the ball, which also removes any grey areas of fielders eating sugary sweets to alter their saliva to apply to the ball," the MCC said in a statement. "Using saliva will be treated the same way as any other unfair methods of changing the condition of the ball." Replacement players As per MCC, the replacements are to be treated as if they were the player they replaced, inheriting any sanctions or dismissals that the player has done in that match. ALSO READ | R Ashwin or Harbhajan Singh? Gautam Gambhir picks the more difficult off-spinner to face Batters returning when caught When a batter is out caught, the new batter shall come in at the end the striker was at, which means to face the next ball (unless it is the end of an over). Dead ball The delivery will be called a dead ball if either side is disadvantaged by a person, animal or another object within the field of play. MCC said, "From a pitch invader to a dog running onto the field, sometimes there is outside interference – if this is the case, and it has a material impact on the game, the umpires will call and signal Dead ball." Bowler throwing towards striker’s end before delivery As per the new laws, if a bowler throws the ball in an attempt to run-out the striker before entering their delivery stride, it will now be a dead ball. This is an extremely rare scenario, which has until now been called a no-ball. Wide ball MCC noted that a wide will apply to "where the batter is standing, where the striker has stood at any point since the bowler began their run-up, and which would also have passed wide of the striker in a normal batting position".

Cricket is changing: New code covers 'Mankad', use of saliva, dogs invading pitch

The Marylebone Cricket Club on Wednesday announced amendments that were made to the Laws of Cricket to use the gender-neutral terms "batter" and "batters", rather than "batsman" or "batsmen", with an aim to stress the importance of the women's game.

The Marylebone Cricket Club on Wednesday announced amendments that were made to the Laws of Cricket to use the gender-neutral terms "batter" and "batters", rather than "batsman" or "batsmen", with an aim to stress the importance of the women's game. MCC is encouraging everyone to adopt the updated terminology following the change to the laws. On its official site, MCC informed that the changes have been approved by the MCC Committee, following initial discussion by the club's specialist laws sub-committee. Part of the statement read: "MCC believes that the use of gender-neutral terminology helps reinforce cricket’s status as an inclusive game for all. The amendments are a natural evolution from work already undertaken in this area as well as an essential part of MCC's global responsibility to the sport." It is worth mentioning that women's cricket will feature at the Commonwealth Games for the first time at the 2022 Games in Birmingham, England. IN PICS | IPL 2021 UAE leg: All teams and their revised squad list Jamie Cox, Assistant Secretary (Cricket and Operations) at MCC said as quoted by the MCC's site, "MCC believes in cricket being a game for all and this move recognises the changing landscape of the game in modern times." "Use of the term “batter” is a natural evolution in our shared cricketing language and the terminology has already been adopted by many of those involved in the sport. It is the right time for this adjustment to be recognised formally and we are delighted, as the Guardians of the Laws, to announce these changes today," he added. MCC has today announced amendments to the Laws of Cricket to use the gender-neutral terms “batter” and “batters”, rather than “batsman” or “batsmen”. — Marylebone Cricket Club (@MCCOfficial) September 22, 2021 × Women's cricket in recent times has seen tremendous growth in terms of popularity. One can remember the 2017 World Cup final, which took place in front of a capacity crowd at Lord's when England defeated India while the women's World Twenty20 final between Australia and India last year attracted more than 80,000 to the Melbourne Cricket Ground The MCC, the most esteemed club in the sport, welcomed its first female full member in 2018, 20 years after a vote to allow women to join. Former England captain Clare Connor, the England and Wales Cricket Board's managing director of women's cricket, will become the first female president in the club's history next month when she takes over from Sri Lankan Kumar Sangakkara. (With inputs from agencies)

'Gender-neutral terminology': MCC changes 'batsman' to 'batter' in Laws of Cricket

Technology&nbsp;was introduced in the world of sports to cut-off human errors&nbsp;and take the pressure off the officials. While the goal-line technology in football and ultra-edge&nbsp;in cricket have helped the referees and umpires massively&nbsp;in&nbsp;marginal calls, the implementation of VAR (football) and Decision Review System (cricket) have left the fans&nbsp;with more questions&nbsp;than answers about both sports.&nbsp;

In football, fans and players have witnessed crucial goals ruled out due to off-sides wherein&nbsp;the VAR decided to take the edge of the boots, arm-pits and whatnot,&nbsp;into account.&nbsp;In cricket, there have been debates on 'umpire's call’ and 'soft signals'.&nbsp;&nbsp;

According to ICC, "soft signal is the visual communication by the bowler's end umpire to the third umpire (accompanied by additional information via two-way radio where necessary) of his/her initial on-field decision prior to initiating an Umpire Review."&nbsp;

In 2018, Steve Smith suffered a controversial dismissal during the third ODI against England in Sydney after Jos Buttler claimed a low catch off Mark Wood. The then-Australian captain didn't mince his words&nbsp;as he said he's not a big fan of the soft signal.&nbsp;&nbsp;

"I'm not sure I'm a big fan of the ruling with the soft signal. That's obviously the ruling at the moment and it's hard to overturn anything," Smith&nbsp;had&nbsp;said.&nbsp;&nbsp;

"We've seen a few this summer that have been pretty similar and if the fielder goes up and actually&nbsp;celebrates,&nbsp;they usually get given out and if you're a bit apprehensive of what's&nbsp;happened,&nbsp;they normally get given not out.&nbsp;It's hard for them to overturn the decision. I'd actually like for the third umpire to have to make the decision whether it's out or not. Just them having to do it, if that makes sense."&nbsp;

ALSO READ:&nbsp;<a href="https://www.wionews.com/sports/exclusive-england-favourites-to-win-t20-world-cup-but-dont-rule-out-india-ryan-sidebottom-370657" hreflang="en">Exclusive: England favourites to win T20 World Cup but don't rule out India - Ryan Sidebottom</a>

Skip to 2021, the cricketing&nbsp;world witnessed a similar incident when Suryakumar Yadav lapped the ball to deep square-leg as Dawid Malan appeared to have plucked a stunner. The on-field umpires discussed and referred the decision to the third-umpire while giving the 'soft-signal' as out. The slow-motion replays suggested that the ball had touched the ground in between Malan's fingers.&nbsp;&nbsp;

However, the third-umpire, after checking a couple of angles, said that there was no conclusive evidence to overturn the on-field call. Suryakumar Yadav departed after a blistering knock but at a time when his knock should have become the talking point, fans and pundits debated the controversial call.&nbsp;&nbsp;

<img alt="Dawid Malan catch" data-entity-type="file" data-entity-uuid="a7fc0cbb-e224-413a-a7b0-0a98761d403b" src="//cdn.wionews.com/sites/default/files/inline-images/Malan.JPG" />

Indian skipper Virat Kohli, during the post-match presentation, asked why can't&nbsp;there&nbsp;be an&nbsp;'I don't know' call from the on-field umpire. Kohli had a fair point as the on-field umpire was standing approximately 60-70&nbsp;metres&nbsp;away from the point where the catch by Malan was taken&nbsp;and it is humanly impossible to spot a close catch from that distance.&nbsp;

“There was an instance during the Test series when I was next to Jinks and he clearly caught the ball but he wasn't sure so we went upstairs. If it is a half and half effort and the fielder is in doubt, there is no way the umpire from the square leg can see it clearly. The soft signal becomes that important and it becomes tricky,” Kohli quipped.&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;

“I don't know why there can't be an 'I don't know' call with the umpires as well. It is similar to the umpire's call as well. These are decisions that can change the course of the game, especially in these big games. We were on the receiving side today, and tomorrow it could be some other team. You want these ironed out and keep the game really simple and linear. It isn't ideal in high-pressure games and we want a lot of clarity on the field,” the Indian captain added.&nbsp;&nbsp;

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How can this be out. When you are not sure whether the ball was taken cleanly after watching so many replays using top class technology and still go by the soft signal given by the on-field umpire. I think this rule needs to be revisited and changed. <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/INDvsENG?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#INDvsENG</a> <a href="https://t.co/b5XMdH8qEz">pic.twitter.com/b5XMdH8qEz</a>
— VVS Laxman (@VVSLaxman281) <a href="https://twitter.com/VVSLaxman281/status/1372566795266138116?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">March 18, 2021</a></blockquote>
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ALSO READ:&nbsp;<a href="https://www.wionews.com/sports/to-officiate-in-t20-world-cup-and-ashes-is-my-next-target-nitin-menon-to-wion-369471" hreflang="en">To officiate in T20 World Cup and Ashes is my next target: Nitin Menon to WION</a>

Everyone agrees that umpiring (in cricket) and refereeing (in football) is tough ask for a human body and eye. And that is why technology has been introduced – to cut-off the human errors and to&nbsp;ease the pressure off the umpires. But as things stand, the usage of technology is complicating the game more than ever.&nbsp;&nbsp;

The&nbsp;fingers are not pointed towards the umpires here, the simple question being asked is if the players and officials are adapting to technology then why can't the rules be tweaked to make the implementation of technology much easier and less complicated.&nbsp;&nbsp;

<img alt="Suryakumar Yadav out" data-entity-type="file" data-entity-uuid="66a81946-20b0-4a72-a9cc-e0f427472332" src="//cdn.wionews.com/sites/default/files/inline-images/000_96A6MB.jpg" />

It is not something that the MCC – the guardian of the Laws of the game - hasn't discussed at all. In early 2021, the MCC&nbsp;World Cricket committee&nbsp;had discussed changes to 'soft signals’&nbsp;for catches taken outside the 30-yard circle, albeit with no conclusion.&nbsp;&nbsp;

“The committee felt that the soft-signal system worked well for catches within the 30-yard fielding circle, but that catches near the boundary often left the umpires unsighted. It was proposed that, for such catches, the on-field umpires could give an ‘unsighted’ instruction to the TV umpire, rather than the more explicit soft-signal of Out or Not out,” the&nbsp;MCC statement&nbsp;read.&nbsp;

Pundits&nbsp;and cricketers&nbsp;such as VVS Laxman, Graeme Swann, Dinesh Karthik, Mike Atherton, Virender Sehwag, Wasim Jaffer&nbsp;among many others have questioned the 'soft-signal' and the decision taken during the fourth T20I between India and England in Ahmedabad.&nbsp;&nbsp;

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Violets are blue, so is Sky 
Dear <a href="https://twitter.com/ICC?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@icc</a> 'soft signal' why? 
<a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/IndvEng?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#IndvEng</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/suryakumar?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#suryakumar</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/NotOut?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#NotOut</a> <a href="https://t.co/cCDYXjpMVt">pic.twitter.com/cCDYXjpMVt</a>
— Wasim Jaffer (@WasimJaffer14) <a href="https://twitter.com/WasimJaffer14/status/1372562572373725186?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">March 18, 2021</a></blockquote>
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Football fans have already been infuriated by the VAR and some of the marginal (read controversial) calls taken for off-sides and hand-balls. So much so that there have been calls to dismantle the VAR and go back to the basics.&nbsp;&nbsp;

For cricket, while there is a fair shout that technology isn't 100 per cent fool-proof when it comes to ball-tracking and LBW calls with 'umpire's call' coming into the play, 'soft-signal'&nbsp;for tight catches is simply ruining the fun and diverting the attention from the cricketing action itself.&nbsp;&nbsp;

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Personally, and do bear in mind that as a bowler I thought everything was out, I think that was a stinking decision.
— Graeme Swann (@Swannyg66) <a href="https://twitter.com/Swannyg66/status/1372560875949678605?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">March 18, 2021</a></blockquote>
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ALSO READ:&nbsp;<a href="https://www.wionews.com/sports/what-rishabh-pant-did-against-anderson-archer-is-outrageous-say-dilshan-and-maharoof-370926" hreflang="en">What Rishabh Pant did against Anderson, Archer is outrageous, say Dilshan and Maharoof</a>

Third-umpire Virender Sharma didn't help his case by giving Washington Sundar out, when fielder Adil Rashid's foot appeared to have touched the boundary&nbsp;padding, the soft-signal by on-field umpire was again out – for an incident that again happened 60-70&nbsp;metres&nbsp;away from the umpire.&nbsp;The officials were just going by the rules – to give a judgement on the appeal.&nbsp;&nbsp;

<img alt="Adil Rashid catch (Pic: Hotstar)" data-entity-type="file" data-entity-uuid="a890481f-22b7-48d4-a733-d274d77a29e2" src="//cdn.wionews.com/sites/default/files/inline-images/EwxdLZdVcAkMJUe.jpg" />

The term 'soft-signal' consists of the word 'soft' but as the laws are designed, it is definitely making&nbsp;life&nbsp;'hard'&nbsp;for the officials. Neither it is giving the on-field umpires the power to make a one-time call nor it is providing the third umpire with the power to counter the decision&nbsp;with all the technology in the world available.&nbsp;&nbsp;

At a time when players are adapting to technology, it is high time for the guardians of&nbsp;Law to adapt to it as well. The world is evolving and so is cricket. At a time when the gentlemen's game is gaining the eyeballs of more countries, it is in everyone's best interest that the rules are kept as simple as possible.&nbsp;&nbsp;

The rules need to be tweaked now or it could result in ICC World Cup 2019 final-like incident&nbsp;where the match was decided on 'boundary count’ - a rule that was scrapped after a couple of months.&nbsp;&nbsp;

The question remains, will the MCC&nbsp;World Cricket committee act now or will it wait for another World Cup '19 final like incident to happen?&nbsp;Remember, technology was introduced to make life simpler not to make it even more complicated.&nbsp;

Technology was introduced in the world of sports to cut-off human errors and take the pressure off the officials. While the goal-line technology in football and ultra-edge in cricket have helped the referees and umpires massively in marginal calls, the implementation of VAR (football) and Decision Review System (cricket) have left the fans with more questions than answers about both sports.

Technology was introduced in the world of sports to cut-off human errors and take the pressure off the officials. While the goal-line technology in football and ultra-edge in cricket have helped the referees and umpires massively in marginal calls, the implementation of VAR (football) and Decision Review System (cricket) have left the fans with more questions than answers about both sports. In football, fans and players have witnessed crucial goals ruled out due to off-sides wherein the VAR decided to take the edge of the boots, arm-pits and whatnot, into account. In cricket, there have been debates on 'umpire's call’ and 'soft signals'. According to ICC, "soft signal is the visual communication by the bowler's end umpire to the third umpire (accompanied by additional information via two-way radio where necessary) of his/her initial on-field decision prior to initiating an Umpire Review." In 2018, Steve Smith suffered a controversial dismissal during the third ODI against England in Sydney after Jos Buttler claimed a low catch off Mark Wood. The then-Australian captain didn't mince his words as he said he's not a big fan of the soft signal. "I'm not sure I'm a big fan of the ruling with the soft signal. That's obviously the ruling at the moment and it's hard to overturn anything," Smith had said. "We've seen a few this summer that have been pretty similar and if the fielder goes up and actually celebrates, they usually get given out and if you're a bit apprehensive of what's happened, they normally get given not out. It's hard for them to overturn the decision. I'd actually like for the third umpire to have to make the decision whether it's out or not. Just them having to do it, if that makes sense." ALSO READ: Exclusive: England favourites to win T20 World Cup but don't rule out India - Ryan Sidebottom Skip to 2021, the cricketing world witnessed a similar incident when Suryakumar Yadav lapped the ball to deep square-leg as Dawid Malan appeared to have plucked a stunner. The on-field umpires discussed and referred the decision to the third-umpire while giving the 'soft-signal' as out. The slow-motion replays suggested that the ball had touched the ground in between Malan's fingers. However, the third-umpire, after checking a couple of angles, said that there was no conclusive evidence to overturn the on-field call. Suryakumar Yadav departed after a blistering knock but at a time when his knock should have become the talking point, fans and pundits debated the controversial call. Indian skipper Virat Kohli, during the post-match presentation, asked why can't there be an 'I don't know' call from the on-field umpire. Kohli had a fair point as the on-field umpire was standing approximately 60-70 metres away from the point where the catch by Malan was taken and it is humanly impossible to spot a close catch from that distance. “There was an instance during the Test series when I was next to Jinks and he clearly caught the ball but he wasn't sure so we went upstairs. If it is a half and half effort and the fielder is in doubt, there is no way the umpire from the square leg can see it clearly. The soft signal becomes that important and it becomes tricky,” Kohli quipped. “I don't know why there can't be an 'I don't know' call with the umpires as well. It is similar to the umpire's call as well. These are decisions that can change the course of the game, especially in these big games. We were on the receiving side today, and tomorrow it could be some other team. You want these ironed out and keep the game really simple and linear. It isn't ideal in high-pressure games and we want a lot of clarity on the field,” the Indian captain added. How can this be out. When you are not sure whether the ball was taken cleanly after watching so many replays using top class technology and still go by the soft signal given by the on-field umpire. I think this rule needs to be revisited and changed. #INDvsENG pic.twitter.com/b5XMdH8qEz — VVS Laxman (@VVSLaxman281) March 18, 2021 × ALSO READ: To officiate in T20 World Cup and Ashes is my next target: Nitin Menon to WION Everyone agrees that umpiring (in cricket) and refereeing (in football) is tough ask for a human body and eye. And that is why technology has been introduced – to cut-off the human errors and to ease the pressure off the umpires. But as things stand, the usage of technology is complicating the game more than ever. The fingers are not pointed towards the umpires here, the simple question being asked is if the players and officials are adapting to technology then why can't the rules be tweaked to make the implementation of technology much easier and less complicated. It is not something that the MCC – the guardian of the Laws of the game - hasn't discussed at all. In early 2021, the MCC World Cricket committee had discussed changes to 'soft signals’ for catches taken outside the 30-yard circle, albeit with no conclusion. “The committee felt that the soft-signal system worked well for catches within the 30-yard fielding circle, but that catches near the boundary often left the umpires unsighted. It was proposed that, for such catches, the on-field umpires could give an ‘unsighted’ instruction to the TV umpire, rather than the more explicit soft-signal of Out or Not out,” the MCC statement read. Pundits and cricketers such as VVS Laxman, Graeme Swann, Dinesh Karthik, Mike Atherton, Virender Sehwag, Wasim Jaffer among many others have questioned the 'soft-signal' and the decision taken during the fourth T20I between India and England in Ahmedabad. Violets are blue, so is Sky Dear @icc 'soft signal' why? #IndvEng #suryakumar #NotOut pic.twitter.com/cCDYXjpMVt — Wasim Jaffer (@WasimJaffer14) March 18, 2021 × Football fans have already been infuriated by the VAR and some of the marginal (read controversial) calls taken for off-sides and hand-balls. So much so that there have been calls to dismantle the VAR and go back to the basics. For cricket, while there is a fair shout that technology isn't 100 per cent fool-proof when it comes to ball-tracking and LBW calls with 'umpire's call' coming into the play, 'soft-signal' for tight catches is simply ruining the fun and diverting the attention from the cricketing action itself. Personally, and do bear in mind that as a bowler I thought everything was out, I think that was a stinking decision. — Graeme Swann (@Swannyg66) March 18, 2021 × ALSO READ: What Rishabh Pant did against Anderson, Archer is outrageous, say Dilshan and Maharoof Third-umpire Virender Sharma didn't help his case by giving Washington Sundar out, when fielder Adil Rashid's foot appeared to have touched the boundary padding, the soft-signal by on-field umpire was again out – for an incident that again happened 60-70 metres away from the umpire. The officials were just going by the rules – to give a judgement on the appeal. The term 'soft-signal' consists of the word 'soft' but as the laws are designed, it is definitely making life 'hard' for the officials. Neither it is giving the on-field umpires the power to make a one-time call nor it is providing the third umpire with the power to counter the decision with all the technology in the world available. At a time when players are adapting to technology, it is high time for the guardians of Law to adapt to it as well. The world is evolving and so is cricket. At a time when the gentlemen's game is gaining the eyeballs of more countries, it is in everyone's best interest that the rules are kept as simple as possible. The rules need to be tweaked now or it could result in ICC World Cup 2019 final-like incident where the match was decided on 'boundary count’ - a rule that was scrapped after a couple of months. The question remains, will the MCC World Cricket committee act now or will it wait for another World Cup '19 final like incident to happen? Remember, technology was introduced to make life simpler not to make it even more complicated.

Tweak the rules or else cricket's 'soft-signal' will end up as football's 'VAR'

Big bats are set to be consigned to the wood-heap and umpires will be given the power to send off players from October as part of cricket&#39;s new Code of Laws, the Marylebone Cricket Club has said.

The maximum dimensions of a bat will be restricted to 108mm in width, 67mm in depth and with 40mm edges according to the new code which will be issued on October 1, the MCC said in a media release.

The rule change&nbsp;decided after consultations with players, manufacturers and global governing bodies, is in response to growing concerns about the imbalance between bat and ball.

Bat sizes have grown pronouncedly in recent years, with thicker edges regularly sending mis-hit shots to the boundaries, much to the chagrin of bowlers.

&quot;The bat size issue has been heavily scrutinised and discussed in recent years,&quot; the MCC&#39;s John Stephenson said.

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<h5>umpires will be given more powers to punish poor player behaviour, starting with official warnings through to temporary or permanent dismissal from the field</h5>
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&quot;We believe the maximum dimensions we have set will help redress the balance between bat and ball, while still allowing the explosive, big hitting we all enjoy.&quot;

In other changes, umpires will be given more powers to punish poor player behaviour, starting with official warnings through to temporary or permanent dismissal from the field.

Offences including throwing the ball at a player or making deliberate physical contact with an opponent would result in the &quot;immediate awarding of five penalty runs to the opposing team&quot;, the MCC said.

More serious offences, including &quot;intimidating&quot; an umpire or threatening to assault another player, team official or spectator, would mean five penalty runs and the offender&#39;s removal from the field &quot;for a set number of overs&quot;.

Any act of violence would mean removal for the remainder of the match, the MCC added.

&quot;We felt the time had come to introduce sanctions for poor player behaviour and research told us that a growing number of umpires at grass roots level were leaving the game because of it,&quot; Stephenson said.

In the first new Code of Laws since 2000, batsmen will also be protected from &#39;bouncing bat&#39; run-outs in a rule change.

Players can no longer be run out if their bat loses contact with the pitch after being grounded behind the popping crease.

The MCC, which is based at Lord&#39;s in London, has been the custodian of the laws of cricket since they were first created in 1787.

(Reuters)

The new rules come into effect from October

Big bats are set to be consigned to the wood-heap and umpires will be given the power to send off players from October as part of cricket's new Code of Laws, the Marylebone Cricket Club has said. The maximum dimensions of a bat will be restricted to 108mm in width, 67mm in depth and with 40mm edges according to the new code which will be issued on October 1, the MCC said in a media release. The rule change decided after consultations with players, manufacturers and global governing bodies, is in response to growing concerns about the imbalance between bat and ball. Bat sizes have grown pronouncedly in recent years, with thicker edges regularly sending mis-hit shots to the boundaries, much to the chagrin of bowlers. "The bat size issue has been heavily scrutinised and discussed in recent years," the MCC's John Stephenson said. umpires will be given more powers to punish poor player behaviour, starting with official warnings through to temporary or permanent dismissal from the field × "We believe the maximum dimensions we have set will help redress the balance between bat and ball, while still allowing the explosive, big hitting we all enjoy." In other changes, umpires will be given more powers to punish poor player behaviour, starting with official warnings through to temporary or permanent dismissal from the field. Offences including throwing the ball at a player or making deliberate physical contact with an opponent would result in the "immediate awarding of five penalty runs to the opposing team", the MCC said. More serious offences, including "intimidating" an umpire or threatening to assault another player, team official or spectator, would mean five penalty runs and the offender's removal from the field "for a set number of overs". Any act of violence would mean removal for the remainder of the match, the MCC added. "We felt the time had come to introduce sanctions for poor player behaviour and research told us that a growing number of umpires at grass roots level were leaving the game because of it," Stephenson said. In the first new Code of Laws since 2000, batsmen will also be protected from 'bouncing bat' run-outs in a rule change. Players can no longer be run out if their bat loses contact with the pitch after being grounded behind the popping crease. The MCC, which is based at Lord's in London, has been the custodian of the laws of cricket since they were first created in 1787. (Reuters)

New cricket rules: Umpires to send off players, no more big bats

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Cricket is changing: New code covers 'Mankad', use of saliva, dogs invading pitch

'Gender-neutral terminology': MCC changes 'batsman' to 'batter' in Laws of Cricket

Tweak the rules or else cricket's 'soft-signal' will end up as football's 'VAR'

New cricket rules: Umpires to send off players, no more big bats