New cricket rules could result in players being sent off following Ashes drama

Cricketers face being sent off as authorities begin to clamp down on slow over rates.

The issue was a glaring problem during the recent Ashes series. Australia and England were both fined 40% of their match fees and deducted two World Test Championship points for slow over-rates during the opening test at Edgbaston.

Australia were docked an additional 10 points for a slow over-rate just weeks later in the fourth Test at Old Trafford, while England lost a staggering 19 points in total for falling behind in four of their five Tests.

Now the Caribbean Premier League (CPL) is set to begin its limited overs competition and is keen to stamp out the issue in the West Indies’ premier domestic competition.

READ MORE: Ricky Ponting gets wish after demanding investigation into Ashes 'disgrace'

The new CPL rules, set to be implemented on August 17, state players could be sent from the field in the 20th and final over if a team is still lagging behind the required over rate.

In the 18th over, teams will be forced to have five men inside the fielding circle should they be behind the over rate, leaving less men to cover the boundary. The strong stance means that should a team remain behind in the 19th, six fielders will be forced inside the fielding circle with just three on the boundary.

Do you want the new rules to be implemented in Ashes cricket? Let us know in the comments section.

Discussing the new change, CPL's Tournament Operations Director Michael Hall said: “We have been disappointed that our T20 games have been getting longer and longer each year, and we want to do what we can to arrest this trend.”

He added: “We have sensitised both the franchises and our match officials to this duty ahead of the tournament. Our hope is that these in-game penalties are not needed, but we believe they are proportionate and necessary.”

Source: Read Full Article