Radical 'Chucking' Changes Approved
The way cricket deals with bowlers with illegal actions will undergo the most radical change in the history of the game after the ICC Chief Executives' Committee (CEC) approved proposals by a panel of former international cricketers to overhaul the current system.
The decision will see changes in the testing, analysis and review procedures used at the international level to standardise and streamline the analysis of bowlers with suspected illegal actions as well as an increased commitment to dealing with the issues at the junior international level.
The new regulations will deal with the reality established during the ICC research program that most bowlers are likely to straighten their arm to a level undetectable by the naked eye during the bowling action.
The key elements of the regulations are:
1. An acceptance that the focus of the Law concerning illegal actions is that it seeks to deal with the extension of the arm that is visible to the naked eye.
2. All bowlers will be permitted to straighten their bowling arm up to 15 degrees which has been established as the point at which any straightening will become visible to the naked eye.
3. The introduction of a shorter, independent review process under the central control of the ICC with immediate suspensions for bowlers found to have illegal actions.
4. The overhaul and standardisation of the bio-mechanical testing of bowlers to ensure that all tests in all laboratories are consistent in the way that they measure the degree of straightening.
5. Strengthening of the initiatives to deal with the issue at the international and regional Under 19 level.
ICC Chief Executive, Malcolm Speed, said that despite the inevitable reaction that will come from parts of the cricket community, the radical overhaul provided the best opportunity for the game to deal with an issue that has affected cricket for over sixty years.
"This issue has afflicted the game for over sixty years. Try as it might, the sport has never properly come to terms with it," said Mr Speed.
"Every time it comes up there are emotional reactions from people around the world based on fear and ignorance and I've no doubt we will see them all again this time.
Changes to the process were initially proposed by an expert cricket panel comprising Aravinda de Silva, Angus Fraser, Michael Holding, Tony Lewis and Tim May along with the former South African vice-captain and ICC General Manager - Cricket, David Richardson.
These proposals were then considered by the ICC's Cricket Committee, a committee made up of former international players and umpires which is chaired by former Indian captain, Sunil Gavaskar.
It was the Cricket Committee which made the final recommendations to the CEC after properly scrutinizing the proposal and making some amendments to the process to be adopted.
No bowler will be 'cleared' as a result of the adoption of these recommendations by the ICC Chief Executives' Committee.
Any bowler reported who is currently under the old system will remain under that system although it is likely that this will have little practical affect given the current playing commitments for these players.
The changes will come into effect on March 1, 2005 after the ICC is able to address some minor drafting amendments that were identified in considering the proposed regulations.
The main elements of each of the five key points are set out below.
1. An acceptance that the focus of the Law concerning illegal actions is that it seeks to deal with the extension of the arm that is visible to the naked eye.
Research conducted by the ICC and several leading bio-mechanists around the world using high-speed cameras has established that most bowlers are likely to straighten their bowling arm to some degree during the bowling action. This is likely to be to a degree undetectable to the naked eye.
It was agreed that the law was not seeking eliminate this imperceptible straightening of the arm.
This view was confirmed by the game's lawmaker, the Marylebone Cricket Club, which advised that it was unaware that bowlers were likely to straighten their arm to a level imperceptible to the naked eye when it drafted the laws and that its intention was to prevent straightening which is visible to the naked eye.
2. All bowlers will be permitted to straighten their arms up to 15 degrees which has been established as the point at which any straightening will become visible to the naked eye.
This limit replaces the variable limits put in place two years ago which have been superseded by the latest research into this issue.
Umpires and match referees will continue to lodge a report based on what they see on the field with the naked eye. Following a report, when the player is undergoing the analysis of his action, 15 degrees of straightening will be the threshold beyond which an action will be deemed to be illegal.
3. The introduction of a shorter, independent review process under the central control of the ICC with immediate suspensions for bowlers found to have illegal actions.
The first bio-mechanical analysis of a reported bowler's action must now be completed within 21 days, down from six weeks, and this process will now come under the control of the ICC rather than remain with the player's home board.
4. The overhaul and standardization of the bio-mechanical testing of bowlers to ensure that all tests are:
a) conducted using the same equipment and standards;
b) reproduced in, as far as is possible, match conditions; and
c) consistent in the way that bowlers are tested.
5. Strengthening of the initiatives to deal with the issue at the international and regional Under 19 level.