ICC Introduces Stop-Clock System and Revises Transgender Policy

• 23 Nov 2023

Source: IE

Why in News?

Recently, the International Cricket Council (ICC) has unveiled groundbreaking measures aimed at revolutionizing the sport's regulations.

• Addressing persistent challenges in cricket, the ICC's introduction of a stop-clock system and a revised transgender policy has captured global attention and sparked discussions within the cricketing community.

What Major Actions have been Recently Initiated by the ICC?

• Stop-Clock System:
  • About: The introduction of a stop-clock system aims to address the persistent issue of time wastage between overs, enhancing the efficiency of gameplay.
    • This initiative is set to be implemented from 1^st December 2023 and will persist until April 2024.
    • As per the existing rule, if the fielding side is behind the clock by the time the innings is supposed to be finished, they have to bring in an additional fielder inside the 30-yard circle for those many overs.
      • But despite this, there were numerous instances where teams still lagged behind.
  • Mechanism: Once an over concludes, the fielding team is allotted a strict duration of 60 seconds to prepare for the subsequent over.
    • Match officials will activate the stop-clock upon the completion of an over.
    • Failure to comply within the stipulated time will result in a five-run penalty, imposed upon the third violation in a single innings.
• Revamped Transgender Policy:
  • About: Players transitioning from male to female, having undergone any form of male puberty, are now ineligible to participate in women’s international cricket, irrespective of surgical or gender reassignment treatments.
    • Previously, transgender women were required to maintain testosterone serum levels below 5 nanomoles for 12 months, in accordance with the International Olympic Committee's guidelines.
    • However, the ICC's revised stance now excludes individuals who have experienced male puberty from competing in women's international cricket.
  • Comparative Analysis with Other Sports Bodies: The ICC's revised policy echoes similar stances adopted by other sporting bodies:
    • World Athletics: Restricts transgender athletes who have experienced male puberty from competing in female world ranking competitions.
    • FINA (Swimming): Prevents transgender athletes who underwent any part of male puberty from participating in elite women's races.
    • World Rugby: Prohibited transgender women from competing at the elite and international levels of the women’s game, pioneering this stance among international sports federations.
• Other Notable ICC Updates:
  • Under-19 World Cup: In response to Sri Lanka Cricket's suspension due to government interference, the ICC relocated the Men's Under-19 World Cup to South Africa from Sri Lanka.
    • This decision significantly impacts Sri Lanka's economy, traditionally reliant on tourism and hospitality.
  • Pay Parity: The Chief Executives’ Committee (CEC) endorsed a plan to expedite the development of female match officials, ensuring equal match day pay for ICC umpires across men’s and women’s cricket from January 2024 onwards.

What is the International Cricket Council?

• The ICC is the global governing body for cricket. Representing 108 members, the ICC governs and administrates the game and works with our members to grow the sport.
• The formation of the Imperial Cricket Conference(as the ICC was originally called) in 1909 marked the beginning of a structured international cricketing body, initially comprising England, Australia, and South Africa.
  • However, the West Indies (1928), New Zealand (1930) and India (1932) became Test nations before the Second World War and Pakistan (1952) soon afterwards.

UPSC Civil Services Examination Previous Year Question (PYQ)

Q. Consider the following statements in respect of the ICC World Test Championship:

1. The finalists were decided by the number of matches they won.

2. New Zealand was ranked ahead of England because it won more matches than England.

Which of the above statements is/are correct?

(a) 1 only
(b) 2 only
(c) Both 1 and 2
(d) Neither 1 nor 2

Ans : (d)

Exp:

• The 2021–2023 ICC World Test Championship is the second edition of the ICC World Test Championship. It started on 4 August 2021 and is scheduled to finish on 31 March 2023.
• Revamped Point System
  • The ICC announced in 2020, that the finalists would be decided by percentage of points earned. The amount of points available per Test has been made uniform. This system allows the relative performance of teams to be compared at any point in time, meaning the cancellation of any matches or series for any reason does not directly impact the points table. Hence, statement 1 is not correct.
  • New Zealand was the first team to qualify for the inaugural final. It was ahead of England due to its ratings, i.e., points (126) after playing 22 matches. On the other hand, England after playing 35 matches has got a 107 rating. Hence, statement 2 is not correct.
• Therefore, option (d) is the correct answer.