Bassetlaw and District Cricket League Official Handbook 2015

4 Constitution, Rules & Playing Conditions 67  h)  Clubs must take adequate steps to ensure the good behaviour of their  members and supporters towards players and Umpires.  (ii)  Spirit of Cricket Cricket is a game that owes much of its unique appeal to the fact that it should  be played not only within its Laws but also within the Spirit of the Game. Any  action which is seen to abuse this spirit causes injury to the game itself. The  major responsibility for ensuring the spirit of fair play rests with the Captains.  a)  There are two Laws which place the responsibility for the team’s conduct  firmly on the Captain.  Responsibility of Captains  The Captains are responsible at all times for ensuring that play is  conducted within the Spirit of the Game as well as within the Laws.  Player’s conduct  In the event of a player failing to comply with instructions by an Umpire,  or criticising by word or action the decisions of an Umpire, or showing  dissent, or generally behaving in a manner which might bring the game  into disrepute, the Umpire concerned shall in the first place report the  matter to the other Umpire and to the player’s Captain, and instruct the  latter to take action.  b)  Fair and Unfair Play According to the Laws the Umpires are the sole judges of fair and unfair  play.  The Umpires may intervene at any time and it is the responsibility  of the Captain to take action where required.  c)  The Umpires are authorised to intervene in cases of:  Time wasting   Damaging the pitch   Dangerous and unfair bowling   Tampering with the ball   Any other action that they consider to be unfair  d)  The Spirit of the Game involves RESPECT for:  Your opponents   Your own team Captain and team   The role of the Umpires   The game and its traditional values  e)  It is against the Spirit of the Game:  To dispute an Umpire’s decision by word, action or gesture   To direct abusive language towards an opponent or Umpire   To indulge in cheating or any sharp practice, for instance:  ‐  To appeal knowing that the batsman is not out