ICC body decides that ‘Toss’ will remain part of the Test matches

All the buzz that surrounded a much-heated issue on whether the ‘Toss’ should be done away with in the Test format was put to rest at a recent two-day meeting in Mumbai of the International Cricket Council under the guidance of Anil Kumble. The Indian leg spinner, along with retired greats like Rahul Dravid, Andrew Strauss, Mahela Jayawardene, Shaun Pollock and Belinda Clark among others, collectively took a decision that the ‘Toss’ will remain part of the Test format for the foreseeable future.

Former Indian skippers  Dilip Vengsarkar and Bishan Singh Bedi had argued against the idea of doing away with the toss after taking multiple aspects into view — the thrill associated with the flip of the coin, the history associated with it and the fact that it is the only option for the home team to challenge the visiting team. 

The ICC then went on to discuss the significance of the ‘spirit of cricket’ and its code of conduct. It pressed for emphasis to improve ‘player behaviour’ and the development of a ‘culture of respect’ amongst rival players and teams after the entire ‘Sandpapergate’ incident that brought a lot of negative publicity to the game.

“There were three main areas of discussion. Firstly, what can (ICC) member boards do to create a better atmosphere of respect between teams and to provide for a fair contest on the field of play. Secondly, what it means to play in the spirit of cricket and, finally, the specific offences to be covered by the code, the associated level of sanctions and the process for the consistent reporting, hearing and adjudication of charges brought under the code,” an ICC spokesperson said.

Anil Kumble, the ICC cricket committee chairman, also added, “The Committee echoed the sentiments of the ICC chief executives’ committee and the ICC board, and, as such, we have made a series of recommendations as part of the creation of a culture of respect we can all adhere to. The group felt that excessive personal abuse and ball tampering were serious offences in the game and that should be reflected in the way in which they are dealt with.”