ICC must revisit rules on interrupted play

CRICKET ROUND-UP: "If the law supposes that," said Mr Bumble . . . "the law is a ass - a idiot." - Oliver Twist

THE LAWS of Cricket have stood the test of time well in the 260-plus years since they were laid down. The 42 Laws that cover everything from the bat, ball and pitch to the 10 ways a batsman can be out are clear and easy to understand.

The same can not be said of some of the rules put in place in competitions, as Ireland's cricketers have found out over the past 10 days.

Although nothing could be done about the vagaries of our glorious Irish summer, the outcome of the latest round of Intercontinental Cup games last weekend left a sour taste.

The ground staff at Malahide put in Trojan work to get any play at all in Ireland's game against Canada, the players even mucking in on Saturday to ensure some cricket was played.

In the end, a monsoon-like deluge ended hope of any more play, each team being awarded three points for a draw.

The news that Scotland and Kenya would each pick up 10 points without bowling a ball in anger in Glasgow only added to the frustration in the Irish camp, Kenya going four points clear of Ireland in the table as the competition enters its deciding phase.

The rule that teams are awarded 10 points in an abandoned match is born of the fact they have had no chance to gain any of the maximum 20 points on offer: 14 for a win and six for a lead after the first innings.

The same applied in Malahide, as with only 141 overs bowled during the four days, Ireland were always going to struggle to post a good first innings and then to bowl Canada out.

The ICC will have to revisit the rule and either set down a minimum number of overs that have to be bowled or take the decision that at least two innings have to be completed to allow one side to claim the bonus points on offer. If not, the teams should also be awarded 10 points.

The other recent incident could have proved disastrous for Ireland in their bid to qualify for next summer's World Twenty20 Cup in England and the little matter of €160,000 in participation fees that went with it.

The Duckworth Lewis system of adjusting scoring in rain-affected matches has, by and large, proved a success. Yet, every now and again it produces an anomaly, and that was certainly the case in Ireland's game against Bermuda in the qualifier tournament at Stormont recently.

Ireland got off to a bad start and were 41 for four after eight overs when rain halted play for two hours. To then tell them they had just one over to improve their score made no allowance for the side's batting strength or for players going in cold after a long break.

Bermuda were then set a target of 46 off nine overs, although they needed to get there in eight to knock Ireland out on run rate.

In the end, they never recovered after Peter Connell took two wickets in his first three deliveries. It was still too close for comfort; that participation in the finals came down to the lottery of a nine-over contest was far from ideal.

To paraphrase Mr Bumble, the Laws of Cricket may not be an ass, but some of the rules are idiotic.

Clontarf wash-out

YET AGAIN the weather was the winner as Ireland's One-Day International against Canada at Castle Avenue was abandoned yesterday without a ball bowled, writes Emmet Riordan.

The umpires were unhappy with the outfield and, after a number of showers throughout the morning, made their decision shortly after lunch.

Ireland round off their domestic season with three One-Day Internationals against Kenya at Stormont. The first takes place on Sunday week.