Yellow cards to punish bad behaviour may be introduced on the cricket pitch next summer.

The game’s elder statesmen are worried that ungentlemanly conduct during international matches is being imitated on village greens and school pitches.

The bad sportsmanship in question includes “sledging” — hectoring batsmen — and throwing the ball back to the wicket close to the batsman’s head.

The England and Wales Cricket Board (ECB) is to discuss a penalty system next month after a trial of the system at three public schools.

The football-style yellow cards could be issued to players such as Paul Collingwood, who as England captain insisted on a run-out against a New Zealand batsman, in a game last week even though the batsman had been accidentally knocked over.

The MCC, the guardian of the game, has warned that Test cricketers must set a better example. It follows a warning from Wisden, the cricketers’ bible, that the day is coming “when a high-profile, televised cricket match will see an outbreak of physical violence on the field”.

Giles Clarke, the chairman of the ECB, has warned that yellow cards could be introduced for sledging in the amateur game. Other offences that might attract a yellow card include refusing to leave the pitch when given out.

One suggestion is that an initial yellow card would serve as a warning and a second would lead to a one-match suspension. There are no plans for a red card.

Dickie Bird, the former Test umpire, said: “It’s not cricket, sir. It should be up to the umpire to control the game.”