MCC announces new no-ball rule

Following the incident involving Steven Finn, the Marylebone Cricket Club (MCC) has announced that umpires will call a no-ball if the bowler breaks the stumps while delivering the ball. MCC, the guardian of the laws of the game, has stepped in to solve confusions post a number of incidents involving England‘s fast bowler Steven Finn.

Set to come into effect from the 1st of October, the 23-year old’s case was mentioned during the MCC’s press release on the change in the rule. The present laws don’t necessarily address the issue, although an umpire is often seen giving a dead ball decision in cases where the batsman is distracted, or a warning to the bowler. In the last few matches, Finn has caught the stumps with his knee, and no uniform decision had been made with reference to how such an incident could have been averted.

“MCC continues to act as a robust guardian of the laws of cricket, and must ensure that it consults widely within the amateur and professional game before making changes that will affect anyone who plays the game. MCC’s decision to make the breaking of the stumps during the act of delivery a no-ball provides clarity to the situation and removes the need for a subjective assessment to be made by the umpire as to whether the striker has been genuinely distracted or not. It also ensures that the striker will still be credited with any runs that he scores from the delivery, and will act as a significant disincentive to the bowler from doing it.”, John Stephenson, MCC’s head of cricket, said.