Australia spinner Nathan Lyon has voiced his disapproval at the International Cricket Council's decision to allow stump microphone audio to be broadcast at all times and the introduction of a new offence that will see audible obscenities punished.
Lyon is against the expansion of stump microphone usage, a technology which can now be broadcast even when the ball is not in play. Though, he has endorsed the move to up the penalty for ball-tampering from a maximum of four Tests to six.
What worries Lyon is the drastic cutdown on offensive language, which has been introduced as part of a new offense in the ICC Code of Conduct. It's very rarely directed at opponents, explains Lyon.
"I totally agree with the ball-tampering stuff (penalty increases), but to be honest with you, I'm not the biggest fan of the stump mics being turned up," Lyon said.
"I think what's on the field needs to stay on the field.
"There's a few expletives flying around when people don't execute their skills.
"It's very, very rarely that people are sharing expletives with the opposition or an umpire or an official.
"That's where I'm not the biggest fan of the stump mics going up because we're a lot of role models."
Before each series commences, the Australians ask the host broadcasters to go by the ICC regulations on the use of stump microphones, which a handful of years back stated that the microphone audio was to be lowered one the ball was dead and in between each delivery.
With two new broadcasters set to air the cricket, Network 7 and Fox Sports over the next six years, the use of stump microphones will no doubt reemerge as a concern next summer.
On Thursday, the ICC formally announced four new offenses in the Code of Conduct and upped the penalty for Level 3 offenses - which now includes ball-tampering.
These new offenses include: attempting to gain an unfair advantage, personal abuse, audible obscenity and disobeying an umpire's instructions.
