AGENCIES
DUBAI
A Super Over may be used in one-day international cricket for the very first time after the International Cricket Council announced the method will be implemented in the case of a tie in the semi-finals and final of the Champions Trophy this year.
The ICC has announced a raft of changes that will be implemented following their latest round of meetings in Dubai, while cricket's major figures have also revealed details of some in-principle agreements that could make significant changes to the structure of international cricket.
A Super Over has been available in the case of a tie in previous ICC finals, but never before for other knockout matches. In previous ICC events, the event of a tie in a quarter- or semi-final meant the side that finished in the higher position during the group stage of the tournament would progress to the next round. This was famously the case when the 1999 World Cup semi-final between Australia and South Africa at Edgbaston finished in a tie, with the Aussies advancing to the final having finished ahead of the Proteas in the Super Six stage of the tournament.
The tie-breaker method is commonly used in Twenty20 matches when scores are level at the end of the match, but it has never before been implemented in a 50-over international. The ICC also announced a Super Over would be available in the semi-finals and final of the 2017 Women's World Cup, which will be held in the UK after the Champions Trophy.
It was also confirmed that the Decision Review System will be available for all televised matches during the Women's World Cup, as well “ for the first time “ both men's and women's World T20 tournaments going forward. They also agreed to a consistent use of DRS in all international cricket matches. A system of demerit points for poorly-rated pitches and grounds will be introduced, similar to the points system used for players when they breach the ICC's Code of Conduct. A venue will be suspended for a period of 12 months if it accumulates five demerit points, while 10 points will lead to ban of two years.
