Sourav Ganguly bats for new ICC rule of sending cricketer off field

Kolkata: Former team India skipper Sourav Ganguly on Wednesday lauded the new International Cricket Council (ICC) rule which will send the players off the field if they commit major offences during the match.

The ICC had on Tuesday announced that player can now be sent off the field for the rest of the match if a Level 4 offence is committed. Level 1 to 3 offences will continue to be dealt with under the ICC Code of Conduct.

"It was introduced by the MCC and there are reasons for that. Lot of difficult situations occurred in low level cricket outside India -- particularly in England or in South Africa. It is a good thing," Ganguly said.

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"No one can understand the importance of it (of such move) unless video clippings are seen," he said while visiting a Durga Puja pandal here.

Threatening to assault an umpire, making inappropriate and deliberate physical contact with an umpire, physically assaulting a player or any other person and committing any other act of violence will be deemed Level 4 offence -- warranting marching orders.

The new rules will be effective from Thursday.