Caribbean Premier League gets tough on slow over-rate

Organizers of the Caribbean Premier League (CPL) Twenty20 tournament have introduced severe in-play penalties for teams guilty of maintaining a slow over rate.The CPL recently announced that teams will face penalties up to and including the removal of one player from the field to stop teams from wasting time and to put pressure on them to bowl the allocated 20 overs within the stipulated 85 minutes.

“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,” CPL tournament operations director, Michael Hall said.“It is the duty of those involved in cricket to ensure that the game keeps moving and we have sensitized both the franchises and our match officials to this duty ahead of the tournament. Our hope is that these in game penalties are not needed, but we believe they are proportionate and necessary.”

According to a CPL news release, over-rates will be monitored by the third umpire and communicated to the captains through the 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.

The penalties for slow overrates will kick in from the 18th over, and dispensations will be given for injuries, DRS, and time-wasting by batting sides, where appropriate.

If the fielding side is behind the required over-rate at the start of the 18th over, one additional player must enter the field restriction circle for a total of five.If still behind the rate at the start of the 19th over, two additional fielders must enter the fielding circle for a total of six.If still behind the rate at the start of the 20th over, teams will lose a player from the field who will be selected by the captain and have six inside the fielding circle.

Organizers said there will also be an onus on batting teams to keep the play moving and they will be penalized five runs for each instance of time wasting after a first and only warning from the umpires.

The new rules will come into effect from the start of the tournament on August 17 when defending champions Jamaica Tallawahs face hosts St Lucia Kings at the Daren Sammy Cricket Ground in, St Lucia.The new rules also applies to women’s CPL. The women’s event will start on August 31 with the first match between hosts Barbados Royals and Guyana Amazon Warriors at Kensington Oval in Barbados.