The Marylebone Cricket Club (MCC) has tried to reinterpret the law around running out the non-striker while backing up, a practise known as Mankading, and has requested a permanent ban on the use of saliva to shine the ball in the future, among a slew of other recommendations.
Every run-out of a non-striker by the bowler in his delivery stride, which was originally categorised under Law 41 (Unfair Play), has often resulted in a divided house. It has now been relocated to Law 38 in an effort to further de-stigmatise the practise (Run out). The law’s text, on the other hand, remains unchanged.
The MCC Laws Manager, Fraser Stewart said
“Since the publication of the 2017 Code of the Laws of Cricket, the game has changed in numerous ways. The 2nd edition of that Code, published in 2019, was mostly clarification and minor amendments, but the 2022 Code makes some rather bigger changes, from the way we talk about cricket to the way it’s played.”
He further added saying
“It is important that we announce these changes now as part of the Club’s global commitment to the game, giving officials from all over the world the chance to learn under the new Code ahead of the Laws coming into force in October.”
What are the other changes in the law of the game suggested by MCC?
The MCC has also proposed a permanent ban on the use of saliva, saying that any application of it to the ball is prohibited and will result in the ball’s state being unjustly changed.
In a statement released by MCC on 9th March, MMC stated
“The new Laws will not permit the use of saliva on the ball, which also removes any grey areas of fielders eating sugary sweets to alter their saliva to apply to the ball. Using saliva will be treated the same way as any other unfair methods of changing the condition of the ball,”
The change is a complete 180-degree reversal of the provision that was generally permitted until the epidemic caused a worldwide lockdown in early 2020, resulting in the rewriting of interim playing conditions in most variants of the game. The saliva ban was thought to be just temporary at the time.
The MCC, on the other hand, said that saliva had little or no effect on the amount of swing bowlers were obtaining. Adding further, they also mentioned about the ‘Hygiene’ as one of the major concerns in the game. Thus, ICC and national bodies must now adapt, endorse, or change these modifications, among others. Most MCC proposals are adopted without much modification.
Meanwhile, there were also few other changes being suggested by MCC in the law of the game.
MCC proposal for other changes in the law
| Laws | Meaning |
|---|---|
| Law 1 – Replacement players | The addition of a new provision, Law 1.3, clarifies that replacements are to be considered as if they were the player they replaced, inheriting any sanctions or dismissals incurred by that player during the match. |
| Law 18 – Batters returning when Caught | When a batter is out Caught, the next batter must come in at the end where the striker was, i.e. to face the next ball, as trialled in The Hundred (unless it is the end of an over). Attempting to cross the line while a catch is being made has no effect. |
| Law 20.4.2. 12 – Dead ball | If either team is disadvantaged by a human, animal, or other object in the field of play, it will be a Dead ball. Outside interference can range from a pitch invader to a dog running onto the field; if this occurs and has a significant impact on the game, the umpires will call and indicate Dead ball. |
| Law 21.4 – Bowler throwing towards striker’s end before delivery | It is now Dead ball if a bowler throws the ball in an effort to run out the striker before entering their delivery stride. This is a really unusual situation. |
| Law 22.1 – Judging a Wide | A ‘Wide’ now applies to where the batter is standing, where the striker has stood at any point since the bowler began their run up, and where the striker would have passed wide of the striker in a normal batting posture, according to Law 22.1. |
| Law 25.8 – Striker’s right to play the ball | The new Law 25.8 permits the striker to play the ball if any part of their bat or body stays within the pitch. If they go beyond that, the umpire will call a timeout and signal Dead ball. Any ball that would compel the hitter to leave the pitch will also be designated No ball as a compensation to the batter. |
| Laws 27.4 and 28.6 – Unfair movement by the fielding side | Until now, any member of the fielding team who moved in an unsportsmanlike manner was merely penalised with a ‘Dead ball,’ potentially cancelling a perfectly good batter’s hit. Because the action was both unjust and purposeful, the batting side will now be awarded 5 penalty runs. |
