Thursday 28 / November / 2024
Basseterre: Trinbago Knight Riders’ Sunil Narine became the first player to receive a red card on Sunday, paying the penalty for his team's slow over-rate in a Caribbean Premier League (CPL) T20 match.
CPL organisers introduced a slew of measures to tackle the problem of slow-over rates this season, including a red card for a fielding side found to be behind schedule at the start of the final over of an innings.
The sanction means a team loses a player selected by the captain and must have six fielders inside the circle.
The issue of slow over-rates has plagued the game, with matches often spilling over their stipulated time.
The governing International Cricket Council (ICC) has introduced fines for international teams found behind schedule in all three formats and also docks World Test Championship points.
The Knight Riders were left with 10 men for the final over their match against the St Kitts & Nevis Patriots but still prevailed by six wickets, their first victory in three matches.
Narine had completed his quota of four overs, with figures of 24/3, before he was withdrawn for the final over of the Patriots' innings, which yielded 18 runs.
Nicholas Pooran's 61 off 32 balls laid the foundation for the Knight Riders' successful chase before captain Kieron Pollard (37) and Andre Russell (23) took them home with 17 balls remaining at Warner Park in Basseterre.
"To be honest, it will take away the hard work everyone has done," Pollard said. "We are like pawns and we are going to do what we are told.
"We are going to play as fast as we can. If you are penalised for 30-45 seconds in a tournament like this, it is absolutely ridiculous."
As per the new rules in the CPL, if the bowling team doesn't start the 18th over in time, one additional fielder enters the 30-yard circle with four allowed outside. If they miss the time limit at the start of the 19th over, one more fielder must enter the circle, leaving three in the outfield. And if they don't start the final over on time, one player must go off the field and they can have just two players outside the circle.
Knight Riders incurred all three penalties and Patriots' No. 5 Sherfane Rutherford made them pay with 18 runs from the final over, bowled by Dwayne Bravo.
"This could be a historic moment here… oh, red card," Ian Bishop called on the official broadcast as the red card was whipped out by on-field umpire Zahid Bassarath before the start of the final over of the Patriots innings, reported ESPNcricinfo on Tuesday.
"You don't want to see that colour card. They must field with only ten, so somebody has to leave the field. And only two outside the 30-yard circle. The absolute last thing that he [Pollard] would want. And imagine the bowler!"
A first in the game
Red cards, a first in the game, have been introduced in the 2023 CPL - for both men's and women's competitions - to combat slow over rates.
"We have been disappointed that our T20 games have been getting longer and longer each year, and we want to do what we can to arrest this trend," Michael Hall, CPL tournament operations director, had said in a statement prior to the start of the tournament.
There will also be an onus on batting teams to keep the game moving. After a first and final warning from the umpires, the batting team will be slapped with a five-run penalty for each instance of time wasting
The rule, using the 85-minutes-per-innings rule for T20 cricket, is that the 17th over of the innings must be completed by 72 minutes and 15 seconds, the 18th by 76 minutes and 30 seconds, and the 19th by 80 minutes and 45 seconds, before the last over ends within 85 minutes.
"Over rates will be monitored by the third umpire and communicated to the captains via on-field umpires at the end of every over, as well as to the crowd and TV audience, with graphics showing how far they are behind (or ahead of) the over rate," a CPL statement had said. "Dispensations will be given for injuries, DRS and time-wasting by the batting side where appropriate."
