The International Cricket Council will crack down on excessive sledging between players at the World Cup, saying first offenders can expect heavier fines while repeat offenders face suspensions. The ICC chief executive, Dave Richardson, also said players with poor records of on-field behaviour could face immediate match bans if found guilty of a single breach of the ICC’s code of conduct during the tournament. “That issue has been addressed at all the pre-event team briefings,†said Richardson. “I suppose it started a few months back already that the behaviour in some matches by some players was deemed to be unacceptable and not a good example to young fans watching the game. I think there’s been something like 12 or 13 code of conduct charges laid in the last few months in bilateral series. “So the crackdown had already started. I think the teams are going to be told that the umpires intend to remain firm, that the penalties handed out by the match referees will be perhaps a little bit more serious or higher than before but that hopefully everyone will be treated equally and fairly. “For a first offence, you’ll likely end up with a fine which no players likes, handing back most of his match fee. But certainly a repeat offence, not only in this tournament but some players already sitting with offences behind their name, will be punished with a suspension.
