By Charles Randall

16 February 2016


Plans by the MCC to 'trial' sending-off as a sanction for umpires against violent behaviour is likely to be welcomed by the club cricket community.

The MCC's idea is that ICC Level Three offences, such as an attempt to intimidate an umpire by language or conduct, could be met by a yellow card - a suspension for perhaps 10 overs. The sanction for Level Four behaviour - when physical contact or racist abuse is involved - would be exclusion from the rest of the match, the red card. Batsmen face being 'retired out' if they overstep the mark.

The Club Cricket Conference has long felt that umpires need more power to tackle bad behaviour. The CCC chairman Alf Langley said:  "Thankfully really serious incidents are rare, but match officials must be respected, and instant suspensions should go a long way towards dealing with the problem, especially aggressive dissent. The MCC are absolutely right to initiate this project."

While reaction to the MCC initiative is likely to be positive, enshrining such powerful sanctions in the Laws could prove detrimental to the game's character in the lower tiers where the standard of umpiring might vary. Robbie Book, author of The Reluctant Umpire, said: "On many occasions players themselves have to perform umpiring duties and could well be faced with having to send off an opposing player. The Laws might have to specify 'qualified umpires' or allow leagues to opt out."

The only way to find out if the 'sin bin' will lead to improved behaviour is to introduce the sanction in some selected premier leagues as soon as possible. The report by Nick Hoult in the Daily Telegraph would have been read with interest by club umpires up and down the land, as statistics suggest that more players than ever before are being reported for their on-field behaviour. Five matches had to abandoned due to violence in 2015.

Fraser Stewart, the MCC's head of laws,said:  "It was felt that now was a good time to review this whole area and perhaps try and find leagues, competitions and schools willing to trial means that act as a deterrent."

The MCC are due to introduce these measures in the next redraft of the Laws in 2017. They have indicated they will test the idea in their own matches in 2016, including universities, though one would imagine there will not be enough appalling behaviour to give the experiment much substance.

Leagues with the most prominent discipline problems should be the first to be armed with yellow and red cards. That would make a few hot-headed players think twice. Umpires in the club sector can be worn down by abuse and they tend to drop out for that reason.  The ultimate sanction against unacceptable behaviour so far has been for umpires to refuse to continue in the middle, an extreme action.

Less abuse equals more umpires - an equation that would deliver a major boost to the club game.