London: The world of cricket needs ‘larger than life characters’ like Virat Kohli and Ben Stokes but it ‘equally needs’ a Mahendra Singh Dhoni or a Rahul Dravid to ‘stay on the good side of the line’, feels ICC Chief Executive David Richardson.
At the MCC’s Cowdrey Lecture, Richardson expressed his concerns about the amount of cheating and sledging in international cricket, urging for more initiative from the players and coaches.
“On the field the cricket needs its larger than life characters. Its Colin Milburns, Freddie Flintoffs, Shane Warnes, Virat Kohlis, Ben Stokes but equally it needs its Frank Worrells, its Mahendra Singh Dhonis, its Rahul Dravids, its Colin Cowdreys to make sure that we all stay in the good side of that line,” Richardson said during his lecture.
While the likes of Kohli and Stokes are as much in news for their playing prowess as for their often animated antics both on and off the field, the Dravids and Dhonis have been known for their near-perfect conduct.
Richardson conceded that the very DNA of the game has been threatened by recent instances of bad behaviour. “Cricket’s DNA is based on integrity. But we have seen too much behaviour of late that puts that in jeopardy and this has to stop,” said Richardson.
However, the former Proteas keeper-batsman agreed that ICC “do not have all the answers to the challenges” it faces but is “working collectively to solve them”.
“Personal abuse, fielders giving send-offs to batsmen who have been dismissed, unnecessary physical contact, players threatening not to play in protest against an umpire’s decision and ball tampering; this isn’t the version of our sport that we want to project to the world,” he said.
Richardson spoke about the steps taken by the ICC to penalise any kind of personal abuse with a six-Test or 12-match suspension in limited-overs cricket. He informed that ICC is working on ‘educating the players on what it means to play the game within the spirit’.
Richardson also spoke about how a home team should maintain the principles of respect for the opposition during a bilateral series.
The prestigious Cowdrey Lecture has been delivered in the past by stars such as Rahul Dravid and Kumar Sangakkara and mostly focusses on the burning issues of the game.