*MUMBAI:* In view of rising incidents of ball tempering and the growinglack of sportsmanship among players, the Anil Kumble-led ICC CricketCommittee on Tuesday made a series of recommendations to improve the gameand develop a ”culture of respect” among the competing teams and itsmembers.

According to reports, the ICC Cricket Committee also decided againstabolishing the spin of coin in the game’s traditional format, calling it an”integral part of the narrative”.

Led by the former India captain, the committee urged the worldcricket’s governing body to take tough measures and restore the “culture ofrespect” among competing teams and its players.

It also called for greater sanctions against players for indulging inincidents of ball tampering.

During the two-day meeting of the ICC Cricket Committee in Mumbai, one ofthe primary points of discussion was whether to do away with the toss(visiting team getting right to choose) in order to minimise the homeadvantage during Test matches.

“The committee discussed whether the toss should be automatically awardedto the visiting team but felt that it was an integral part of Test cricketwhich forms part of the narrative of the game,” the ICC stated in a release.

The committee further agreed that host nations should prepare qualitypitches keeping the World Test Championship in mind.

“Acknowledging that the preparation of Test pitches that could provide arisk to the competitiveness of the ICC World Test Championship, theCommittee urged Members to continue to focus on the delivery of pitchesthat provide a better balance between bat and ball in line with ICCregulations,” it said.

The ICC Cricket Committee members who attended the two-day meeting includedformer international captains such as Mike Gatting, Mahela Jayawardene,current international coach Mike Hesson (New Zealand), former Australiaopener and match referee David Boon among others.

The abolition of toss became a contentious issue as most of the formerplayers and stakeholders termed it a negative step.

The bulk of the time over the last two days was spent in discussing poorplayers’ behaviour that has plagued the game for quite some time along withissues like ball tampering, which saw Australia’s captain Steve Smith andhis deputy David Warner being suspended for one year due to theirinvolvement in the scandal in South Africa.

“We had an excellent discussion around the issue of player behavior and I’dlike to thank Mike Gatting and David Boon for joining us and makingvaluable contributions,” Kumble said.

“The Committee echoed the sentiments of the ICC Chief Executives’ Committeeand the ICC Board, and, as such, we have made a series of recommendationsas part of the creation of a culture of respect we can all adhere,” Kumbleadded.

*Some of the suggestions made by the ICC Cricket Committee with regards toCode of Conduct include:*

-Raising the sanctions associated with ball tampering.

-Creating a new offence for offensive, personal, insulting, offensive ororchestrated abuse

-The consideration of the introduction of a new offence of attempting togain an unfair advantage

-Creating a Code of Respect

-Match referee to have the authority to downgrade or upgrade a level ofoffence or sanction.

For someone who has played the game with integrity and respect for theopposition, Kumble was more concerned about “excessive” personal abuse.

“The group felt that excessive personal abuse and ball tampering wereserious offences in the game and that should be reflected in the way inwhich they are dealt with. There was also strong support for giving thematch officials more authority and subsequently greater support aroundtheir decision making,” Kumble said.

The committee also recommended a change in the points system to the ICCChief Executives’ Committee. The committee recommended that points shouldonly be awarded for each match and not a series win.

It was proposed that there was a draw-win ratio of 0.33:1, so a draw giveseach team a third of the available points. For example: if three points areawarded for a win, a team will get a point for a draw.

It was also agreed to propose a reserve day for the ICC World TestChampionship final to enable any time lost through bad weather to be madeup.