18 November 2004	Thursday	05 Shawwal 1425

BRISBANE, Nov 17: Australia and New Zealand captains Ricky Ponting and Stephen Fleming say they have been left in the dark over the proposed new rule changes to throwing in cricket.

Both skippers welcome the International Cricket Council (ICC)'s plan to tackle the murky issue of throwing, or chucking, but say they still do not fully understand the recommended changes which could come into effect next year.

"It's a little big vague," New Zealand captain Fleming told a news conference on Wednesday. "I would like some more information to understand what exactly they have in store and what exactly they are looking for."

Australia skipper Ponting said he had been briefed on the rule change, which will allow bowlers to straighten their arms by up to 15 percent, after meeting with Australia's ICC sub-committee member Tim May, but was still unsure.

"We still need to know a bit more about it. We need to see it in action and see it in place," he said. Fleming, regarded as having one of the most astute cricketing brains in the sport, said he was reluctant to pass judgment on the proposals until he had seem them in operation but agreed it was a positive sign the ICC were looking into the issue.

"One thing I'm very happy about is that there is some movement for too long it was the ugly sister that wasn't being talked about," he said. "Now it's out in the open there's some positive steps being put in place but whether they're the right ones we'll wait for the information."

Fleming urged the ICC to clarify the new rules as soon as possible to avoid any more speculation and scrutiny about players. "It shouldn't be secretive," Fleming said. "What we have to be careful of is the sort of knee-jerk reactions when a statement comes out and emotive type of reporting that starts throwing players names out without basis." -Reuters