Ian Chappell says the red card rule in cricket would be 'ridiculous'

What’s the story?

Earlier this year, the MCC (Marylebone Cricket Club) recommended new laws for the game of cricket which ensures fair play and also regulates the code of conduct of the players. One such proposed law was to introduce red cards for players who show dissent.

However, former Australian skipper Ian Chappell feels that the rule is probably a step too far. While speaking to FoxSports about the same, he said, “Sending players off might work in some of the football codes, but it’s ridiculous in a game of cricket. Cricket administrators have a history of taking the complicated one, and in my opinion, that’s another example of it. That’s ridiculous.”

In case you didn’t know...

Ian Chappell is someone who has always expressed views for the betterment of the game. A few years back, Chappell had expressed that umpires should be given more power than what they had at that moment.

In March this year, the MCC rolled out a new proposal which will decrease the size of the bats in order to ensure even contest between the bat and the ball and also proposed to amend a few laws of the game pertaining to disciplinary norms. Based on the new stipulations, the player offences will be gauged based on four levels and the consequences will vary from awarding penalty runs to sending the player off the ground.

The heart of the matter

In the wake of the new laws which will be implemented in the final quarter of the year, Ian Chappell has lamented the special powers the new rules are set to give the on-field umpires in the game of cricket. He said that in football, sending players off would be fine but in a ‘Gentlemen’s Game of Cricket’, the move can be ridiculous to accept.

The Australian legend went on to add that there are always two solutions to a problem and the game’s administrators have a long history of always rooting for the complicated solution rather than the simpler one. However, Chappell underlined that amidst all these, one of the major concerns should be the bowlers’ safety.

He said that the bigger danger in cricket is how the bowler and the umpire can escape when the ball is struck right back at them venomously by the batsman. Therefore he undermined the plan to regulate bat sizes as he believes that it will not enhance the time available for a bowler to react and that the bowlers and umpires will continue to be in a dangerous situation.

What’s next?

The much-awaited and upcoming ICC Champions Trophy will be the last ICC event before the new set of rules are deployed. All the new rules and changes are set to be in operation from 1^st of October 2017.

Author’s Take

Although we understand that the rule was made to ensure improved behaviour from the players, it doesn't guarantee that the sledging prevalent in the game will be curtailed. So it is perhaps easy to agree with Chappell. However, the change in the size of the bats will definitely assist the bowlers and we can hope for a more even contest between the ball and the bat once the rule is implemented.