Upcoming South Africa—Ireland Encounter to Face the New ICC Code Of Conduct And DRS Rules

It appears that the South Africa –Ireland ODI encounter in South Africa will come under the new ICC Code of Conduct and DRS Rules. According to PTI news reports, International Cricket Council (ICC) is introducing some changes about the DRS Umpire’s Call interpretation and the ICC Code of Conduct for Players and Player Support Personnel. The changes will come into effect immediately. However, no modification has been made to the list of offences or the penalties levied on the players. But from now on the players will gather demerit points and it will be with them for the next two years. If found violating the code again the repeat offenders will be suspended.

The changes have been confined to Article 7 of the Code. All international players will begin with Zero demerit points from September 22 after the introduction of the changes by ICC). The first match which will be played under the changed rules will be the one-day international match on Sunday between South Africa and Ireland at Benoni in South Africa. Earlier, Ajay Shirke, the secretary of the Board of Cricket Control in India (BCCI), referring to the changes in the rules had said that there is a “difference in opinion” with the International Cricket Council (ICC) but further clarified that this “difference in opinion” did not amount to a standoff with the ICC.

The Umpire Decision Review System which is abbreviated as DRS is a tech-based system used in cricket. DRS rule was first introduced in the test format, and its main aim was to review controversial decisions made by the on-field umpires as to whether or not a batsman had been dismissed. DRS was first introduced in an India v Sri Lanka match in 2008 and it was launched officially by ICC on 24 November 2009 during the first Test match between New Zealand and Pakistan at the University Oval in Dunedin.

In context of the changes related  to an LBW ‘umpires call’ in the new DRS playing condition ICC in a press release said, “For a Not Out decision to be overturned, more than half the ball now has to be impacting the pad within a zone bordered by the outside of off and leg stumps (formerly the centre of off and leg stumps), and the ball needs to be hitting the stumps within a zone bordered by the outside of off and leg stumps and the bottom of the bails (formerly the centre of off and leg stumps, and the bottom of the bails).”