CAPE TOWN, March 12: The tw-day International Cricket Council’s executive council sitting on March 15 and 16 would be asked to endorse recommendations covering issues that include a code of cricket discipline, contract arrangements and Future Tours Programme.
The meeting is also to decide the venue and schedule for the ICC Champions Trophy (previously called the ICC Knock Out) that is scheduled in September. Sri Lanka is the most likely venue for this high-profile event.
Delegates are to consider a far-reaching paper from ICC management proposing an extension of the use of technology to aid decision making. It will also discuss the future use of bonus points in one-day international tournaments, following the unsatisfactory aspects highlighted in the VB Tri-series in Australia.
The CC-P would also decide on extending technology in decision making.
The ultimate aim of the proposal is to help reach correct decisions more consistently, while maintaining the umpire’s authority as the final decision maker.
The earlier scheduled executive council meeting will also seek a resolution to the ICC Referees Commission, which was postponed after requests from the executive board members to allow further discussion to take place after pressure was applied by the Indian board which did not agree to the previously appointed three-member unit by the world governing body.
The executive council, made up of international cricket’s most senior decision makers, would also receive a progress report from Sir Paul Condon on the recent work and future programme of the ICC Anti-Corruption Unit which he’s heading.
It would also discuss a new, four level system of player penalties which has been developed to achieve greater consistency in the application of cricket discipline. Each level matches a range of code breaches with recommended minimum and maximum penalties.
For example, a first time Level 1 breach for dissent could be penalised by a minimum of a reprimand, with a maximum of a 50% match fee fine. If repeated, the breach moves up to a Level 2 offence, punishable by a full match fee fine and a Test or ODI suspension. Level 4 Code breaches, which would include threats and violence, would incur a minimum of a five Test or 10 ODI ban, with a life ban in the most extreme cases.—PPI