LONDON: International Cricket Council chief executive David Richardson said Tuesday the global governing body would come down hard on players who 'sledged' or verbally abused their opponents at the upcoming World Cup.

During the course of an extensive interview on the ICC website, former South Africa wicketkeeper Richardson also said officials were determined to continue their campaign against illegal bowling actions and added he was confident the World Cup would not be blighted by match or spot-fixing.

Several high-profile incidents in recent months have led former Australia captain Ian Chappell to say he fears it can only be a matter of time before things get so heated that a physical clash ensues.

Meanwhile New Zealand great Martin Crowe has called for the introduction of a yellow and red card system common to many other sports in a bid to punish poor on-field behaviour in cricket, which has traditionally prided itself on being a “gentlemen's game”.

India's ongoing tour of Australia has been marred by numerous verbal spats, with Cricket Australia chief executive James Sutherland taking the unusual step of publicly telling David Warner to “stop looking for trouble” after the opener's latest flare-up saw him demand India's Rohit Sharma “speak English “during a one-day international in Melbourne on Sunday.