International Cricket Council restricts Twitter during ICC World Cup 2011
The International Cricket Council (ICC) has restricted all cricket players and officials from using Twitter during the ICC World Cup 2011 matches in a bid to avoid any type of corruption in cricket. The ICC has taken this decision, in response to Australian
team manager Steve Bernard’s tweets which drew more than 1,100 users to his @stevebernard37 account in the past six months, including the Ashes as well as ODI series.
“This is just a precaution, it’s not something we are overly concerned about. But we do feel a team manager’s phone should be used for operational purposes only during matches” said ICC spokesman, James Fitzgerald.
During a press conference, the ICC spokesperson also said that when it comes to the issue of corruption, they prefer to use possible precautions. He said that the reason behind restrictions on Twitter was not to be killjoys. The rule was intended as a precautionary
measure so that sensitive information could not be passed on during a match. He also added that a managers’ phone should be kept for operational purposes only. The spokesman asserted that all teams are to follow the ban on tweets and the rule was not just
for http://www.senore.com/Cricket/Australia-c746.
The head of Cricket Australia (CA), Peter Young, said that their team management had supported the use of Twitter during the Ashes 2010 and in a recent One Day International series against England but they will now abide by the ICC’s order. "It is worried
that public communication might be misused by the illegal sports betting industry in http://www.senore.com/Cricket/India-c750. The ICC has a concern about that and we understand that concern," said Young.
Young also backed the ICC’s announcement saying that the ICC had taken the right step on the issue of corruption becauses it was becoming a major issue. Young while talking about the Bernard said: "(Bernard) is very judicious about what he does and doesn't
say but while he's getting it right, there needs to be one rule for all."
Bernard and the Australian coach, Tim Nielsen, had started tweeting last year on the request of CA, because the cricket body wanted a better insight of the team for the fans. Last year England batsman, Kevin Pietersen, was fined by the England and Wales
Cricket Board for disclosing the decision of his exclusion from the One-Day team on Twitter. In the same way, Australian opener Phillip Huges also suffered punishment from CA when he unveiled that he had been dropped from the third Ashes Test in 2009.
The ICC’s zero tolerance for corruption is easily highlighted by the fact that the three Pakistani players, http://www.senore.com/Cricket/Mohammad-Asif-c1993 have suffered lengthy bans over their alleged involvement in the spot-fixing case during the fourth
Test at Lord’s last year. Hopefully the dark shadow of corruption will not affect the ongoing ICC World Cup 2011.
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