It is good that MCC want to introduce tougher sanctions for verbal and even physical abuse of umpires but I would go further and bring in red and yellow cards immediately.
It seems as though MCC are going to trial certain punishments this year, such as sin-binning a player for a number of overs. But for some time I have been advocating the use of football-style cards against anyone who abuses an umpire.
Not only would players know where they stood, but, more importantly, so would spectators. Make it exactly the same as football, two yellows or one straight red and you’re off — and that means you’re out of the whole game, not just an innings or part of a session.
The MCC view has been that officials should try to reason with players and manage any flare-up.
I haven’t really thought too much about sin-bins and it is an argument I would listen to but I would rather see the authorities going much further because the confrontation and threat of violence on the field is increasing.
It never used to be like that and it is a huge worry that MCC reckon that five organised games were abandoned in the past year because of violence.
It should be said that there are very few serious incidents in international cricket but there is a bigger problem in county cricket and, more seriously, in club and league cricket.
There is no way we should accept players at grass-roots level abusing each other or the umpires but there’s clear evidence that this is happening. I saw it first-hand when I went back to playing league cricket a few years ago.
One of the negative aspects of the Decision Review System is that it encourages players to challenge authority. The umpire’s word is no longer final.
I am at the coalface and I see it happening more and more. Well done MCC for recognising something has to be done, but go the whole hog.
Red and yellow cards would be a massive deterrent and go a long way to solving one of the most serious problems in the game.– Daily Mail