Law Changes from 1 October, 2017

On the 1st of October, 2017 a number of cricket law changes came into effect. These include:

• giving umpires the power to send off players from the field in response to the most serious incidents of player misconduct. 
• restriction on bat dimensions (the thickness of edges and depth of bat) which will be an edge limit of 40mm and bat depth of 67mm (60mm for the depth plus an allowance of 7mm for a possible curve on the face of the bat).
• a batsman will have made his or her ground when a bat bounces after being grounded behind the crease by a running or diving batsman. 
• The Handled the ball Law has been deleted, with its contents merged into Obstructing the field.
• The Lost ball Law has been deleted and is now covered under Dead ball.
• Injuries hoped to be prevented in a new Law which allow mechanisms tethering the bails to the stumps.
• Bowling of deliberate front foot No balls to be treated in same way as deliberate full-tosses.
• The Law regarding running out the non-striker has been altered.
• A new Law of the game, Players’ conduct, is introduced, giving an in-match consequence for poor on-field behaviour.

 Fraser Stewart, MCC's Laws Manager, explained the guiding principles behind all the changes.

He said: ""MCC has left no stone unturned in researching and redrafting the new Laws of Cricket and has done so in order to make the Laws work in a way that makes sense to players, umpires and spectators.

"The Laws are applicable worldwide so they need to be as simple as possible to understand and inclusive to all. The Club hopes to encourage interest in the game at all levels and believes these new Laws are reflective of the present time and easier for cricketers and umpires to interpret."

Teamwork and Support

Throughout these blog entries there are constant references to the umpires “working as a team”. The Laws provide for many instances where the umpires “agree together”. It is essential that this teamwork is carried onto the field and implemented throughout the day’s play.

Regardless of any personal feelings you may have for each other, either misplaced or valid – to earn respect you must maintain teamwork and professionalism.

As umpires we have all experienced it at some stage. The help you thought you were getting never arrived. Your colleague has to be there for you and vice versa – NO EXCUSES. You almost immediately lose respect for an umpire who tries to show up his colleague. You are a team out there and you have to support each other. The support can be subtle and go unnoticed to all but those close to umpiring.

Loyalty towards a colleague must be complete and resolute.

During conflict situations there can be no value in going on the attack as soon as a possible problem arises. Always watch how your partner is handling a problem and be ready to give support whenever needed. If things get out of hand or bubble over for a long time after the incident, you should walk towards the other umpire at the end of an over and say something like “everything OK?” or “should we speak to the Captain?”

Never get caught not paying attention. Even a slight shrug of the shoulders if you are asked for help is a negative sign. Even if you do not agree that the incident requires a caution to the player or Captain, make sure you both attend to the matter. Quite often a Captain or player will not want to carry on with the problem if he is of the impression that both umpires are working together.

Not backing up your partner is the quickest way to lose respect of not only your colleague but the players as well.

Coping with pressure

Pressure manifests itself in many ways and in general, will affect logical thinking and optimum performance. The aim of this section is to pass on knowledge to assist everyone to cope and perform better under pressure.

There are good and poor ways of coping with pressure.

Recognising Pressure Symptoms

There are external and internal sources of serious pressure

Pressure breaks your attention span leading to a lapse in concentration.


Pressures usually and most always cause feelings of:

A lack of control over the situation

Tightness of your muscles and breathing

Loss of feeling for the game, its values and participants


This results in:

Loss of basic technique and discipline

Complete breakdown in skills


Results in handling pressure well:

THOUGHTS are positive, confident and flowing in accord with the game.

FEELINGS are calm and in control with a sense of enjoyment and anticipation without effort

FOCUS – on the ‘here and now’, looking for the seam on the ball and wanting the next decision to be yours


Impact of anxiety of performance:

One of the most frequent causes of poor concentration and therefore a build up of pressure is anxiety. Under normal conditions, attention is continually shifting back and forth across a variety of wavelengths.

Under pressure, three things happen:

Attention becomes inflexible

Attention becomes narrow

Attention becomes more internally focused


Dealing with impact of anxiety

Realise that you must have flexibility to be able to deal with pressure

If you allow your attention to narrow, the pressure mounts and it becomes difficult to attend to several things at a time. This is the most dangerous period.

You feel rushed, overloaded and it results in poor decision-making


SYMPTOMS:

Increased heart rate

Lump in the throat

Upset stomach

Withdrawal or reluctance to talk to players

Try these simple suggestions:

Stand with your feet shoulder width apart and knees slightly bent

Relax your neck and shoulder muscles

Direct your thoughts inward and realize how tense the rest of your body may be

Try to breathe normally

Feel the heaviness that occurs

Now take a deep slow breath (at least 5 seconds) and feel the tension leave

Continue with a few more deep breaths. Clear your mind of irrelevant thoughts

Focus on the next ball

Thought control – turning negative thoughts into positive

POSITIVE: “Nobody likes it but I can cope with it”
NEGATIVE: “I can’t stand this pressure”

POSITIVE: “Stay calm and watch the ball”
NEGATIVE: “I hope I don’t make any mistakes”