ICC keen to introduce tougher penalties for cheating
Thursday 29 March 2018 11:08, UK
The International Cricket Council (ICC) is to is launch a world-wide review of player conduct in the wake of the ball-tampering scandal in South Africa.
Cricket Australia imposed 12-month bans on former captain Steve Smith and vice captain David Warner for their part in the incident in Cape Town.
The ICC banned Smith for one Test and docked his match fee but Warner escaped any sanction while opener Cameron Bancroft, who was caught on camera trying to alter the ball, was fined 75 per cent of his match fee.
The penalties triggered criticism, with former players and fans accusing the ICC of being too lenient.
ICC chief executive David Richardson said: "We've seen a number of incidents of poor player behaviour in recent weeks which has included ugly sledging, send-offs, dissent against umpires' decisions, a walk-off and ball tampering."
Richardson says recent weeks have been "one of the worst periods in recent memory for consistently poor player behavior and the global outcry in relation to the ball tampering is a clear message to cricket: enough is enough."
The ICC will invite respected ex-internationals to join a panel to review the existing code of conduct in a bid to clarify and define what is expected of players.
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