The MCC, formed in 1787, has the final say in all the laws relating to cricket
Photo: BCCI
London: The Marylebone Cricket Club (MCC) in England has made significant changes to the rules of cricket relating to mancoding, strike strike rotation, wide ball, substitute, and ball spitting. The new changes are proposed by the MCC Legal Committee, which has the power to revise cricket rules. These rules will come into force after October this year. The changes proposed by the MCC sub-committee were approved by the main committee meeting last week.
Marleybone Cricket Club is the owner of London’s Lord’s Cricket Stadium, also known as the Mecca of Cricket, and the most active cricket club in the world. The MCC, formed in 1787, has the final say in all the laws relating to cricket.
‘Mankading’ is not a bad thing anymore
Mankading is the practice of completing the bowling action after the bowler has run out and running out if the non-striker leaves the crease before releasing the ball. Mankading is generally regarded as an act of decency in cricket known as the game of gentlemen. But now the MCC has made significant amendments to this law. Mankading, which was part of Rule 41 which is not fair, has now been changed to Rule 38, which deals with runouts. That means dismissing the batsman through mancoding is no longer a bad thing, instead it will come within the scope of a runout.
During the 2019 IPL, Kings XI Punjab’s star R.K. Ashwin’s dismissal of Jose Buttler, who was batting at the time, caused a great deal of controversy. With this, Mankading led to another heated debate in the world of cricket.
‘Spit application’ on the ball
The MCC also decided to end the practice of using saliva to increase the shine of the ball. In the context of Kovid, the decision is to stabilize the temporary ban that has been in place since July 2020. The decision was made for health reasons. But the use of sweat is not forbidden. A study by the MCC found that applying saliva did not significantly change the swing of the ball.
Strike rotation
The MCC has made significant inroads into the Strike Rotation Act. The next change is that if a batsman is caught and dismissed, the new batsman will need to strike the next ball. The dismissal is in the last ball of the over but the new batsman will have to face the first ball of the next over. If the batsmen cross before the fielder takes a catch like this earlier, the new batsman will come to the non-strikers end. In effect, the player at the Non Strikers End will remain there.
Wide determination
In modern cricket, batsmen are experimenting with many new shots. In view of this, the MCC has also amended the Wide Determination Act. Batsmen often unnecessarily deviate from the crease during the run-up to confuse the bowlers. Bowler balls like this are often called wide. Now, when the bowler starts the run-up, the width will depend on where the batsman is standing.
Replacement player
Substitutes under Rule 1.3 of the MCC are also subject to change. Substitutes will be deemed to have received dismissals in their own name, just like their predecessors.
Content Highlights: marylebone cricket club has made few changes cricket laws Mankading no longer unfair
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