Dubai, March 29 (IANS): Stung by the ball tampering saga involving Australian players, the International Cricket Council (ICC) on Thursday announced it will undertake a wide-ranging review into player behaviour, the Code of Conduct and the framework for penalties on offences in order to bring a long-term positive impact on the game.
The ICC said the review will bring together some well respected former and current players along with the Cricket Committee, the MCC and match officials as it considers the current offences in the code and the sanctions as well as how to make the spirit of the game a more integral part of that code.
"We need to move on from the last few weeks but not in the hope that people will just forget about it, but by taking positive action and ensuring fans around the world can rely on cricket to do the right thing," ICC CEO David Richardson said.
Richardson said the review gives the ICC an opportunity to "shape what the game looks like in the 21st century and reset the standards expected of player behaviour and communicate expectations of them clearly and without ambiguity".
"It will focus on two things, firstly the Code of Conduct, reviewing the levels of offence based on seriousness, more clearly defining the conduct that constitutes each offence and reviewing the sanctions that should apply to each," he said.
"Secondly, we will consider the development of a spirit of cricket code which will define more clearly what it actually means to play the game in this day and age with a view to establishing a culture of respect in the game for the long term."
