Spirit of Cricket to be a priority for new Australian cricket season

Australian elite cricketers have defined a set of standards of behaviour and values by which they intend to play the game.

The players' definition is part of a broader national Spirit of Cricket project announced today which is designed to ensure all Australian cricketers from school and park cricket up understand their obligations to fair play.

Australia's two men's international men's team cricket captains, Steve Waugh and Ricky Ponting, announced an elite players' definition of the Spirit of Australian Cricket based on playing the game hard but fair, accepting umpires' decisions and leaving the game in better shape than it was before they arrived.

The definition, which documents issues which Cricket Australia-contracted players have been discussing for several years, is designed as a guide to the shared standards of behaviour they expect of themselves and of the values they hold.

The players' code, finalised during the contract-player camp in Perth last weekend, does not condone on-field abuse or sledging, but accepts that banter between opponents is part of the competitive nature of cricket.

Test captain Steve Waugh said Australian players had been discussing the importance of playing the game in a positive way for several years.

"We believe we have made good progress, despite a handful of set backs. But we acknowledge that the intense and increasing scrutiny of Australian international cricketers on and off the field imposes very high standards on us as role models and ambassadors for the game," he said.

Women's Captain Belinda Clark said female players were also conscious of their obligations as role models for fair play.

Cricket Australia Chief Executive Officer James Sutherland also announced today that a national Spirit of Cricket project developed by Cricket Australia and the six state cricket associations was designed to promote fair play at all levels of men's and women's Australian cricket.

"Nurturing and developing the Spirit of Cricket is one of the main long-term objectives of our formal business strategy, From Backyard to Baggy Green, which we announced in mid-2002," he said.

"The laws of cricket are important but we recognise the way the game is played by everyone from school children through to the international arena is also important for the long-term health of cricket in Australia.

"Australia is the world's most successful cricket nation but we need parents, teachers and local communities to be confident that cricket is an appropriate sport for Australian kids if we are to remain at the top of world cricket in the future.

The wide-ranging national Spirit of Cricket project includes:

-- Seeking to educate all captains throughout Australian cricket, from local park cricket up, that the laws of cricket require them to ensure they and their teams play the game in the right spirit.

-- Introduction of Spirit of Cricket team awards for interstate teams, including Pura Cup, ING Cup, Women's National Cricket League and under-19 and under-17 teams which play the game in the best spirit, with similar awards for district/premier cricket managed by the six state cricket associations.

-- Reviewing and amending the Cricket Australia Code of Behaviour to more closely align it with the International Cricket Council code which covers international cricket.

-- Educating state Code of Conduct Commissioners, and state and district umpires about the importance of enforcing code of behaviour requirements.

-- Promoting Spirit of Cricket messages at all levels of Australian cricket form children's Have-A-Go clinics and up.

-- Distributing 20,000 copies of the official laws of cricket to captains and umpires throughout Australian cricket, with a special message drawing attention to the preamble of the laws which requires captains and all players to respect umpires' decisions, their opponents and the traditions of the game.