Cricket is very often referred to as “the gentleman’s game”, and maintaining its reputation as a credible and well run sport is important. But there’s more to the game than hitting sixes or taking stunning catches—players also need to follow a long list of off-the-pitch guidelines to keep everything above board. And for the cricket fanatics amongst you, the idea of being paid to play the sport you love probably fills you with absolute joy. Indeed, it’s something of a privilege to become financially comfortable, well known and all for doing the thing you love most.
But becoming a professional cricket player also brings with it responsibilities and rules you have to follow.
Today, we’re diving into three key things professional cricketers are simply not allowed to do. Let’s go!
1. Betting on Cricket – Anywhere in the World!
First up, betting. For those of you not familiar with sports betting, you can find more in this guide to what is sports betting, but in its simplest form, it’s wagering money on outcomes of sports. It might be the result of a cricket game, how many yellow cards in a football or anything else for that matter.
As a professional cricketer, not only can you not bet on your own cricket games, but you also cannot bet on cricket anywhere in the world.
It’s easy to see why, of course. Letting players bet on cricket could lead to all kinds of issues such as match-fixing, sharing insider information, or even deliberately underperforming to secure an outcome you’d bet on. So even betting on games they’re not involved in is a big no.
The rule goes further than that too. Cricketers must not share details that could influence the bets of others either. Examples include as injuries or strategy changes. So, when you see players staying tight-lipped about team plans in their pre match interviews, it’s not just about keeping up the suspense! There’s much more to it than that.
2. Using Performance-Enhancing Drugs
Performance-enhancing drugs (PEDs) are an absolute no go for cricketers, as with athletes in any sports at all.
On the surface, might not seem as physically demanding as many other sports, but it still requires fitness, endurance and focus. PEDs could, of course, provide an unfair advantage, whether it’s giving a bowler extra speed or helping a batter hit harder.
In order to enforce these rules, players are subject to random drug testing and the penalties for breaking this rule are pretty significant. A failed test can lead to fines, bans, and a tarnished reputation. For professional cricketers, staying clean isn’t just about ethics—it’s about protecting their careers.
There’s a pre defined list of performance enhancing drugs and it even includes some day to day things you find in common medicines. So cricketers have to be very careful when it comes to medication.
3. Publicly Criticising Officials or Opponents
As grassroots sports players, I think we can all sympathise with frustration at decisions from time to time. So naturally, a cricket player might not always agree with an umpire’s decision, with their opponent’s behaviour or something else that happens on the field. However, publicly crticising officials is a big no no in cricket.
This means they can’t criticise officials in interviews, press conferences or social media posts. In fact, they cannot do so on any public platform at all. The cricketing world places a high value on respect and sportsmanship, and calling out umpires or opponents is simply not acceptable.
If players have concerns with officoials, they are very much able to address them privately through official channels. Venting frustrations publicly can lead to fines, suspensions, or other disciplinary action and nobody needs that kind of drama overshadowing their career.
Why These Rules Matter
It’s all about credibility in cricket and these rules aren’t really different from rules in any other sport too. Generally it’s about keeping games fair and credible.
