County cricketers "have expressed fears about signing contracts" beyond the '19 season as part of "wider concerns about the structure of the domestic game," according to the BBC. A new competition featuring eight city-based teams will begin in '20. The Professional Cricketers' Association said that the major concern of players was "a lack of information and clarity regarding the new tournament." The views of players from all 18 counties were taken into account at meetings attended by 85% of professional players in England and Wales (BBC, 4/25). In London, Nick Hoult reported players are concerned over the makeup of the tournament and are "angry they have been kept in the dark." Worcestershire batsman Daryl Mitchell, the co-chair of the PCA, said, "We are the ones who have to deliver this competition if it happens. We need detail such as how things are going to work. Two years sounds like a long time but it will come around quickly. ... The consultation is the biggest issue. The players would like to have had more of a say" (TELEGRAPH, 4/25).
KEEP IT SIMPLE: In London, Elizabeth Ammon reported scoreboards for cricket’s new 100-ball competition "could be stripped of all information other than the total, number of wickets and number of balls left." The format, announced last week, "is designed to make games shorter and more attractive to a fresh audience." ECB Dir of Women's Cricket Clare Connor said, "What we are talking about is simplifying the game. The question is how we get to that simplified point where we can put on a cricket match that is more easily understood." The new tournament, which has the working title "The Hundred," will try to complete its matches in about two-and-a-half hours (LONDON TIMES, 4/26).
'CULTURE OF RESPECT': REUTERS' Amlan Chakraborty reported the Int'l Cricket Council "asked an internal panel to suggest harsher punishment" for ball-tampering and other misbehavior by players in its bid to establish a "culture of respect," CEO Dave Richardson said on Thursday. The game's image "was sullied in Cape Town last month when Australia batsman Cameron Bancroft was caught on camera tampering with the ball." Richardson said that the punishments under its code of conduct for such misbehavior "were inadequate." Richardson: "We want to move towards stricter and heavier sanction for ball-tampering and all other offenses that are indicative of a lack of respect for your opponent, for the game, for the umpire, for fans, for the media, et cetera" (REUTERS, 4/26).
