Former Pakistan captain Shahid Afridi tweeted tagging the International Cricket Council (ICC) to express his displeasures about its new rule which tells the on-field umpires not to hold the bowler’s cap, sweater or sunglasses while bowling due to Covid-19 restrictions.
Shahid Afridi slams ICC
“Dear @ICC wondering why the umpires are not allowed to hold the bowler’s cap even though they are in the same bubble as the players/management and even shake hands at the end of the game?” Afridi posted on his Twitter account.
Dear @ICC wondering why the umpires are not allowed to hold bowlers cap even though they are in the same bubble as the players/management and even shake hands at the end of the game? 🤷♂️
— Shahid Afridi (@SAfridiOfficial) February 24, 2021
Afridi is currently playing in the Pakistan Super League (PSL) 2021 for the Multan Sultans. As the T20 tournament is under ICC’s rules and regulations, he might have faced the same issue in any of the matches.
As for his team, the Multan Sultans’ have had a poor start to the PSL season as they lost both their first two matches. Afridi bowled a superb spell in the first match, picking up two wickets for just 24 runs in his four overs.
Some other players in the PSL have also expressed surprise over the ICC rule which is being enforced because of the pandemic.
The bowler handing over his cap, sweater, or sunglasses to the on-field umpire was a norm cricket but ICC came up with the new guidelines after cricket resumed after a long gap due to the global pandemic, leaving bowlers with no choice but to hand over their caps to the fielders.
“Players and umpires should maintain social distancing on the cricket field and that includes no handing over of player items (cap, towels, sunglasses, jumpers) to the umpire or teammates,” reads the ICC playing guidelines.
Also read: Shahid Afridi Reveals that He Used Sachin Tendulkar’s Bat to Score His Fastest Century
