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BCCI clears three rules for domestic cricket

The technical committee of the Board of Control for Cricket in India today approved three recommendations of the MCC, including that involving the wide ball, for implementation in the domestic cricket from 1998-99.

Sources said the committee agreed to amend the rule 25 on the wide ball and now an additional run would be awarded even if runs were allowed of that ball besides an additional ball. Now one run or runs scored, whichever was higher, was allowed in addition to one extra ball.

Another suggestion accepted by the committee, chaired by Sunil Gavaskar, was that the umpires would change the ball after completion of 100 overs in a match of three days or more. The fielding side would have the option to take the new ball after 80 overs. The umpires would wait up to 100 over and then change the ball. If the side did not ask for a new ball, then, they would still change the old one. Till two seasons ago, the fielding side could have taken the new ball after 75 overs.

The third change accepted by the committee was to reduce the condoning time for a fielder from 15 minutes to eight minutes. If a bowler returns within eight minutes, he will be allowed to bowl straightaway. Now he has to wait the exact number of minutes he was out of the field before he can bowl.

When contacted for details, BCCI Secretary J Y Lele only said that the committee had agreed for three changes and it would have to be ratified by the annual general meeting of the BCCI scheduled for September 26 and 27 in Calcutta.

Lele said all the members of the committee attended the meeting.

To another question, he said he would inform the Indian Olympic Association immediately after the selection of the team for the Commonwealth Games at Kuala Lumpur. He pointed out that even Pakistan had named its team only yesterday. That was an obvious reference to the IOA's outbursts against the BCCI on the delay in picking up the team.

The BCCI, which had threatened to send the team through the International Cricket Council, had finally decided to forward its entry for the Commonwealth Games through the IOA.

The meeting, scheduled for August 28, had to be postponed in view of the general body elections to the Karnataka State Cricket Association on August 29.

The committee meets at least once in a year to discuss the rules and recommendations.

Senior selection committee chairman M K Rungta was also present. Other members of the committee are Ranjib Biswal, P R Narayanaswami, Niranjan Shah, Khailash Gattani, V V Kumar and R V Ramani.