The updated set of rules include an update on the mandatory ball change in the case of saliva and a stop clock in Test matches.
The game is evolving, and so are its laws. Days after the International Cricket Council (ICC) deemed the ‘bunny hops’ on the boundary illegal for fielders, the prime cricketing body has announced a set of updated rules for Men’s International Cricket. In a rule approved by the ICC, teams will now have the luxury of using a new ball from each end in an ODI, only till the 35th over. After that, they will have to choose one ball, which will be used from both ends for the next 15 overs. These updated rules pertaining to white-ball cricket will be effective from July 2.
These updates to the rules of the game are extremely necessary to keep up with the pace of the game. Over the period of the last few years, cricket has seen humongous development across multiple geographies. To add to that, the additions in the formats of the game tend to make the rules more complex. Here’s a list of seven rule changes implemented by the ICC, which will be effective July 2 onwards.
As per the current rules, the on-field umpires have the right to change a ball as soon as saliva is found on it. Though the use of saliva on the ball will still be prohibited, umpires will not be under any obligation to change the ball in the case of saliva being used. This is because on some occasions, the team trying to force a change of ball may use saliva deliberately to do so. So, going forward, the on-field umpires will only change the ball if the condition of the ball has drastically deteriorated. This decision has been left to the umpires’ disposal, as per what the situation demands.
Suppose a team uses saliva on the ball (intentionally or otherwise). Now, if the umpires decide that the usage of saliva hasn’t changed the condition of the ball, it cannot be replaced. However, in such a scenario, the batting team will be awarded five runs.
The stop clock rule will now be applicable in the longest format of the game, too. This rule applied to the white-ball formats for a year. According to the stop-clock rule, teams that are fielding can take a maximum of one minute to change between overs. In simple words, the next over must begin inside 60 seconds after the current over comes to an end. Failure to do so will result in two warnings from the on-field umpires. If the fielding team is still not able to abide by the clock, the batting team will be awarded five extra runs. After every set of 80 overs, the warnings will be reset to zero. Most importantly, the clock will tick upwards from zero to 60. This rule has been in play since the beginning of the World Test Championship 2025-27 cycle.
Imagine a rank turner. For instance, a batter has been given out caught at the forward short-leg. The batter, not being pleased with the decision, opts to review it. Now, the Ultra edge shows that the ball has hit the pad instead of the bat. With a catch ruled out, the TV umpire now checks for a possible LBW via the ball-tracking system. Till now, the rule was that once a batter has been decided not out caught, the default decision for the second mode of dismissal would be ‘not out.’ This means that even if the tracker reads umpires’ call for an LBW, the batter would remain not out.
But, as per the updated rule, when the ball-tracking for the LBW decision is displayed, the original decision of the umpires will read ‘out.’ And if the review gives an ‘umpires call’, the batter shall be declared out in such an instance.
The ICC has also decided to modify the way reviews are interpreted and judged. In the process followed till now, the TV umpire used to consider the umpires’ review before the player’s review. “If the conclusion from the first incident is that the batter is dismissed, then the ball would become dead at that point, and the investigation of the second incident would be deemed unnecessary”, as per the revised rule 3.9 in ICC playing conditions.
For example, if there was a LBW appeal and a run-out appeal on the same delivery, the TV umpire will first consider the LBW incident, because that happened first. If the batter is considered out, the ball will be declared dead.
Let’s assume that a fast bowler is bowling a fiery spell. The batter pulls a delivery, and the fielder at deep square takes a very low catch, running ahead. The umpires are unsure if the catch was clean enough to be deemed legal. So they turn to the TV umpire. Now, as per the previous rules, if the TV umpire finds the delivery to be a no-ball, he would not be needed to adjudicate on the legality of the catch. However, under the new rules, the TV umpire will still have to check whether the catch taken was legal. If it turns out to be a legal catch, the batting team will only get a single run. If not, they will get the runs that they have taken.
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As per the current rules, if a batter is caught taking a short run, the batting team would be penalised for five runs. But the new rules are where things get interesting. As per the new sanction, if a batter is caught taking a short run on purpose, the umpires will ask the fielding team which batter they would prefer on strike. Furthermore, the five-run penalty would still be in effect under the new circumstances.
“A deliberate short run is an attempt for batters to appear to run more than one run, while at least one batter deliberately does not make good their ground at one end,” Rule 18.5.1 of the playing conditions states. “Batters may choose to abort a run, provided the umpire believes that there was no intention by the batter concerned to deceive the umpires or to score the run in which they didn’t make their ground.”
In case of a serious external injury, the ICC has advised cricket boards to trial the involvement of a like-for-like substitute for that particular player. This substitute must be a like-for-like replacement, just like the ones executed during a concussion. Moreover, the injury must be visible to the match officials for them to approve the need for a replacement. However, it was made extremely clear that hamstring pulls and niggles would not come under this category. This rule will be implemented on a trial basis and will be at the discretion of each cricketing board to apply in their domestic circuit.
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