STANDARD TEST MATCH PLAYING CONDITIONS
Part-2
3 LAW 3 - THE UMPIRES
3.1 Law 3.1 - Appointment and
attendance
Law 3.1 shall be replaced by the following:
The following rules for the selection and appointment of Test Match
umpires shall be followed as far as it is practicable to do so:
3.1.1
The umpires
shall control the game as required by the Laws (as read with these playing
conditions), with absolute impartiality and shall be present at the ground at
least two hours before the scheduled start of the first day’s play, and at
least 1.5 hours before the scheduled start of each succeeding day’s play.
3.1.2
ICC shall establish an ‘Elite Panel’ of umpires
who shall be contracted to the ICC.
3.1.3
Each Full
Member shall nominate from its panel of first class umpires two umpires to an
‘International Panel’ and one umpire to a ‘TV Panel’. (A third umpire may be
nominated to the ‘International Panel’ with the written consent of the ICC).
3.1.4
ICC will
appoint two umpires to stand in each Test Match. Neither of such umpires shall
be from the same country as the participating teams and shall be selected from
the ‘Elite Panel’
or the ‘International Panel’.
3.1.5
As long as
possible before each Test Match, the ICC will advise the Home Board of the
names of its appointees and the Home Board will advise the Manager of the
visiting team of all umpires’ names.
3.1.6
In Test Matches
where the DRS is used (see clause 3.2 below), ICC will appoint a third umpire
who shall act as the emergency umpire and officiate in regard to the DRS. Such
third umpire shall not be from the same country as the participating teams and
shall be appointed from the ‘Elite Panel’ or the ‘International Panel’.
3.1.7
In all other
Test Matches, the third umpire will be appointed by the Home Board and he shall
act as the emergency umpire and officiate in regard to TV replays. Such
appointment shall be made from the ‘Elite Panel’, the ‘International Panel’ or
the ‘TV Panel’.
3.1.8
The Home Board
shall also appoint a fourth umpire for each Test Match from its panel of first
class umpires. The fourth umpire shall act as the emergency third umpire. In
‘DRS’ Test Matches the fourth umpire shall be appointed from the “International
Panel” or the “TV Panel”.
3.1.9
ICC shall appoint the match referee for all
matches (ICC Match Referee).
3.1.10
The ICC Match Referee shall not be from the same
country as the participating teams.
3.1.11
Neither team will have a right of objection to
an umpire’s or match referee’s appointment.
3.2 Third Umpire/ TV Replay
System (DRS)
In matches where the DRS is used, the playing conditions set out in
Appendix 1 shall apply.
In matches where the DRS is not used, the playing conditions set out in
Appendix 3 shall apply.
3.3 Law 3.2 - Change of umpire
Law 3.2 shall be replaced by the following:
An umpire shall not be changed during the match, other than in
exceptional circumstances, unless he is injured or ill.
3.4 Law 3.4 - To inform
captains and scorers
The following shall apply in addition to Law 3.4 (i):
The Home Board may provide for the ringing of a
bell, which shall be rung 5 minutes before the termination of an interval, when
the umpires shall go to the wickets. The Home Board shall inform the ICC Match
Referee and the Manager of the visiting team at the start of the tour that this
practice is to be adopted.
3.5 Law 3.8 - Fitness for play
and Law 3.9 - Suspension of play in dangerous or unreasonable conditions.
3.5.1
The safety of
all persons within the ground is of paramount importance to the ICC. In the
event that any threatening circumstance, whether actual or perceived, comes to
the attention of any umpire (including for example weather, pitch invasions,
act of God, etc. See also clauses 3.5.4 and 3.5.5), then the players and
officials should immediately be asked to leave the field of play in a safe and
orderly manner and to relocate to a secure and safe area (depending on each
particular threat) pending the satisfactory passing or resolution of such
threat or risk to the reasonable satisfaction of the umpires, ICC Match
Referee, the head of the relevant ground authority, the head of ground security
and/or the police as the circumstances may require. Laws 3.8 & 3.9 shall be
replaced by
3.5.2
The umpires
shall be the final judges of the fitness of the ground, weather and light for
play. See clause 3.5.3 below and Law 7.2 (Fitness of the pitch for play).
3.5.3
Suspension of play for adverse conditions of
ground, weather or light
a) All references to ground include the pitch. See
Law 7.1 (Area of pitch).
b) If at any time the umpires together agree, that
the conditions of ground, weather or light are so bad that there is obvious and
foreseeable risk to the safety of any player or umpire, so that it would be
unreasonable or dangerous for play to take place, then they shall immediately
suspend play, or not allow play to commence or to restart. The decision as to
whether conditions are so bad as to warrant such action is one for the umpires
alone to make, following consultation with the ICC Match Referee.
The fact that the grass and the ball are wet and
slippery does not warrant the ground conditions being regarded as unreasonable
or dangerous. If the umpires consider the ground is so wet or slippery as to
deprive the bowler of a reasonable foothold, the fielders of the power of free
movement, or the batsmen of the ability to play their strokes or to run between
the wickets, then these conditions shall be regarded as so bad that it would be
unreason-able for play to take place.
If circumstances are warranted, the umpires
shall stop play and instruct the ground staff to take whatever action they can
and use whatever equipment is necessary to remove as much dew as possible from
the outfield when conditions become unreasonable or dangerous. The umpires may
also instruct the ground staff to take such action during scheduled and
unscheduled breaks in play.
The umpires shall disregard any shadow on the pitch from the stadium or
from any permanent object on the ground.
c) When there is a suspension of play it is the
responsibility of the umpires to monitor the conditions. They shall make
inspections as often as appropriate. Immediately the umpires together agree
that conditions are suitable for play they shall call upon the players to
resume the game.
d) If play is in progress up to the start of an
agreed interval then it will resume after the interval unless the umpires
together agree that the conditions of ground, weather or light are so bad that
there is obvious and foreseeable risk to the safety of any player or umpire, so
that it would be unreasonable or dangerous for play to take place.
3.5.4 Play may be suspended due to safety and security
concerns by the umpires on the advice of the ICC Match Referee, the head of the
relevant ground the head of ground security or the police.
3.5.5
Where play is
suspended under clause 3.5.4 above the decision to abandon or resume play shall
be the responsibility of the ICC Match Referee who shall act only after
consultation with the head of ground security and the police.
3.6 Light Meters
3.6.1
It is the responsibility of the ICC to supply
light meters to the match officials to be used in accordance with these playing
conditions.
3.6.2
All light meters shall be uniformly calibrated.
3.6.3
The umpires
shall be entitled to use light meter readings as a guideline for determining
whether the light is fit for play in accordance with the criteria set out in
clause 3.5.3 (b) above.
3.6.4
Light meter readings may accordingly be used by
the umpires:
a)
To determine whether there has been at any stage
a deterioration or improvement in the light.
b)
As benchmarks for the remainder of a stoppage,
match and/or series/event.
3.7 Use of artificial lights
If in the opinion of the umpires, natural light
is deteriorating to an unfit level, they shall authorize the ground authorities
to use the available artificial lighting so that the match can continue in
acceptable conditions.
The lights are only to be used to enable a full day’s play to be
completed as provided in clause 16 below.
In the event of power failure or lights malfunction, the provisions
relating to the delay or interruption of play due to bad weather or light shall
apply.
3.8 Advertising on grounds,
perimeter boards and sightscreens
3.8.1
Advertising on grounds
The logos on outfields are to be positioned as follows:
a)
Behind the stumps – a minimum of 25.15 yards (23
meters) from the stumps.
b)
Midwicket/cover area – no advertising to be
positioned within 30 yards (27.50 meters) of the centre of the pitch being used
for the match.
3.8.2
Perimeter Boards
a) Advertising on perimeter boards placed in front
of the sightscreens is permitted save that the predominant colour of such
advertising shall be of a contrasting colour to that
of the ball.
b) Advertising on perimeter boards behind the
stumps at both ends shall not contain moving, flashing or flickering images and
operators should ensure that the images are only changed or moved at a time
that will not be distracting to the players or the umpires.
c)
In addition, the brightness of any electronic
images shall be set at a level so that it is not a distraction to the players
or umpires.
3.8.3
Sightscreens
a)
Sightscreens shall be provided at both ends of
all grounds. For day-night Test matches, they will be white or black as
determined by the Home Board.
b)
Advertising shall be permitted on the
sightscreen behind the striker, providing it is removed for the subsequent over
from that end.
c) Such advertising shall not contain flashing or
flickering images and particular care should be taken by the operators that the
advertising is not changed at a time which is distracting to the umpire.
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