Batters who are repeatedly not ready to face the ball will cost their side five penalty runs under new International Cricket Council playing conditions, which apply to all international series starting on or after 1 October.
The changes, worked out by ICC cricket committees whose members include Sourav Ganguly, VVS Laxman, Amol Muzumdar and Mithali Raj, also allow a trial of pink balls in daytime Tests and set separate ball sizes for women’s cricket. Series already under way will continue under the old rules.
The updated conditions take in changes to the MCC Laws of Cricket that came into force on Thursday.
Time-wasting penalty
In men’s cricket, a batter who is not ready within the set time will get a warning for a first offence and a final warning for a second. From the third offence on, the fielding side gets five penalty runs each time. Code of Conduct action can also follow for repeat offenders.
Pink ball and the last over of the day in Tests
Teams can agree to use a pink ball in a daytime Test to cut down on play lost to bad light. The decision must be made before the match and holds for the whole game. Teams cannot switch from red to pink once the match has started.
A wicket in the final over of the day will no longer end play automatically if the over is unfinished and conditions are fit. The ICC said stopping at that point saves no time, because the remaining balls still have to be bowled the next morning.
Women’s cricket balls
Manufacturers have often made a single ball for both women’s and junior cricket. There will now be three separate size and weight specifications, for men’s, women’s and junior cricket, with tighter limits for the women’s ball.
Fielding rules made clearer
An overthrow is now defined as an attempt to throw the ball at the stumps to stop runs or effect a run-out. A misfield, whether trying to stop the ball or pass it to a team-mate, is not an overthrow.
Umpires will have more room to decide when the ball is “finally settled”. It no longer has to be in the bowler’s or wicketkeeper’s hands. For a run-out or stumping, the fielder must have complete control of the ball, and simply touching it while it breaks the stumps is not enough.
ODI and T20I changes
T20Is will have a fixed 15-minute interval, which can be cut to 10 minutes when time has been lost. In both ODIs and T20Is, the head coach or a designated person may now come on to the field at drinks breaks. The leg-side wide trial has become a permanent part of the ODI and T20I conditions.
These limited-overs changes were already in place in women’s cricket where they applied.
Ganguly on the changes
Ganguly, who chairs the ICC Men’s Cricket Committee, said: “There are some important changes to the Playing Conditions, including provisions relating to cricket balls, greater clarity around certain aspects of fielding and measures aimed at improving the pace of the game.”
“These changes have been carefully considered to ensure the Playing Conditions continue to reflect the needs of the modern game while maintaining its integrity and consistency,” he said.
Gaurav Saxena, the ICC’s General Manager – Events and Operations, called it “a genuinely collaborative process, with a strong focus on finding the right solutions”.
The men’s committee also includes Desmond Haynes, Hameed Hassan, Temba Bavuma, VVS Laxman, Jonathan Trott, Paul Reiffel, Richie Richardson, Scott Edwards and Shaun Pollock. Clare Connor chairs the women’s committee, whose members include Lisa Sthalekar, Sana Mir, Charlotte Edwards, Amol Muzumdar and Mithali Raj, with Snehal Pradhan as secretary.
