Breaking Boundaries: The Radical Rewrite of Cricket's Code of Conduct

Welcome to Twenty Two Yards, a weekly newsletter celebrating cricket's culture and characters.

In this issue:

• Cricket’s code of conduct

• A new player in the shoe game

• Saudi Prince enters county cricket

Estimated read ⏰: 5 mins

Breaking Boundaries: The Radical Rewrite of Cricket’s Code of Conduct

It's safe to assume you've seen the recent Virat Kohli/Gautam Gambhir post-match, pre-bout faceoff— a finger-wagging affair with two cricket giants peacocking on live TV.

Kohli and Gambhir were fined 100% of their match fee after verbally headbutting each other for the world to see.

The IPL Code of Conduct

Article 2.21 states there shalt not be:

• Public acts of misconduct

• Unruly public behaviour

• Inappropriate comments which are detrimental to the interests of the game

• Yada, yada

Lighten Up
A certain decorum in the tea-sipping formats might be tradition, but let's hold the line at the rugged and fast T20 format of the "gentle" men's game.

When you compare T20 cricket to other professional sports with cheerleaders and sponsors glued to the stars, do we believe a verbal squabble is fine-worthy? After all, India is the WWE's biggest market - so safe to assume the fans dig this type of posturing. In fact, let’s double down - on Kohli vs Gambhir in the Main Event at a Royal Rumble.

These fines are the perfect example of cricket's crustiness, and it doesn't have to be this way.

Swagger as a sales tool
Many point out their concerns about The Kingdom taking over golf and how they'll make it more conservative, but the recent Chase Koepka hole-in-one at LIV Golf proves otherwise. Do we believe spiking a club and receiving a celebratory cup-pelting is bad for golf?

Also...

• MLB's Play Ball tweets bat-flip compilation videos encouraging fans to vote on the best ones.

• The NFL's most viral touchdown celebrations are a tribute and callback to a physical altercation between MLB greats Nolan Ryan and Robin Ventura. Yes, the 'No Fun League' - the place that used to penalise celebrations - now has its cameras front and centre to capture the creativity of its players.

• LeBron James and Steph Curry are back at it again in the NBA playoffs. Maybe LeBron will tell Curry to "Get the f— out" of his face like the good ol' days.

The Stakes
The biggest loss in this IPL campaign is the retirement of the Universe Boss, Chris Gayle. He had enough swagger to carry the league; now, in retirement, we should give him the pen to rewrite the code of conduct like he did Six Machine.

As for Kohli, cricket's biggest star, muzzle him at your loss.

In Partnership with DAZN

The IPL has arrived in the U.K. and Ireland

All 74 matches, including the playoffs and finals, will be included in the DAZN subscription at no extra cost, starting from as little as £9.99 per month.

Untapped Potential: Cricket’s Shoe Market is Ripe for Disruption

Ever since Craig Kieswetter kept wicket for Somerset in a pair of Converse All Star Hi's back in 2014, the game changed. Just as it did when Michael Jordan stepped onto the court in the (now iconic) Air Jordan 1's in 1984.

Okay, Craig isn't cricket's Jordan; but the former England keeper-batsman broke ground in a sport where flair is only ever seen on the ties of MCC members at Lord's.

The Spike Market
While the market has grown stale, the honourable mentions are:

• Adidas pushed the envelope in 2017 by introducing their industry-changing Boost technology.

• New Balance is tentatively flexing its creative muscles with the current CK10 range and an oversized NB logo on the forefoot.

• Nike still has a strong on-field presence with their Domain 2 silo from 2020 on the feet of Test internationals and T20 franchise superstars.

Players are going custom
Players are being overlooked, but AOB Custom Kicks is changing the game. The exclusive boutique service gives cricketers at all levels, including top players like Tabraiz Shamsi, Sam Curran, Jason Roy, Ben Stokes, Sunil Narine, Will Jacks and Marnus Labuschagne, the opportunity to wear stylish custom-made shoes that don’t compromise on performance.

Next Up
Brands such as New Balance, Adidas, PUMA, Payntr, Gray-Nicolls, and Kookaburra must come correct to catch the rise of the world's second biggest sport. The demand is there; they only have to give the players what they want.

The Slip Corden

• Saudi Prince offers YCCC cash injection

  According to The Daily Mail’s Matt Hughes, a Saudi Arabian prince is in talks to purchase Yorkshire County Cricket Club. The club, which is struggling with financial difficulties, owes former chairman Colin Graves £15 million. Could this be a pivotal moment for YCCC, akin to Wrexham’s dramatic takeover?
  

• Big Bro Vs. Little Bro

  The Pandya brothers made history in their home state of Gujarat by becoming the first siblings to captain opposing sides. GT (little bro) pounced on Lucknow (big bro) by 56 runs.

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