World cricket authorities were told the Federation of Int'l Cricketers' Associations will "oppose any moves" to restrict the number of T20 leagues in which a player can take part, according to Andrew Wu of THE AGE. The Int'l Cricket Council set up a working group to advise the governing body on the sanctioning of T20 competitions and rules "regarding the release of players by their home boards." The ICC is investigating how it can "protect the primacy of international cricket amid concerns it could be impacted by the number of tournaments being set up around the world." The issue is a "more pressing concern for smaller cricket nations," particularly the West Indies, which has "lost a host of stars" to the T20 circuit as it does not have the "financial clout to adequately reward their players." The ICC is considering restricting players to three leagues (THE AGE, 7/3).
HOT MIC: In London, Nick Hoult reported the protocol of turning down stump microphones between deliveries will be relaxed by the ICC "in order to try and stamp out sledging." Currently, broadcasters switch off the audio from stump microphones once the ball has gone dead "so any sledging between balls is not heard" by the TV audience. But the ICC’s board approved the introduction of new offenses, including ones to cover "personal abuse" and an "audible obscenity," along with allowing broadcasters to air audio from stump microphones at any time, a move "designed to stop players using abusive language at a point when they know it will not be heard by those off the field." The ICC also approved "harsher penalties for ball-tampering," which can be punished by a ban lasting up to six test matches or 12 ODIs, after its penalties were criticized for being "too lenient" in the wake of the scandal involving the Australia team (TELEGRAPH, 7/2).
