No Time Wasting, New Stumping Rules: ICC Introduces Key Changes to Cricket Rules

The International Cricket Council (ICC) has announced a series of changes to its playing conditions across international cricket, with the new set of rules coming into effect for the series beginning on or after October 1. The ongoing series will continue to be played according to the previous regulations.

The variations cover multiple areas of the game, including time wasting by batters, overthrows, stumpings and run-outs, ball specifications, intervals and wides, along with some specific adjustments for Test Cricket. The ICC has also introduced a trial allowing pink balls to be used in daytime Tests by mutual agreement between the teams.

Cricket Rules Latest Changes For Time Wasting and Fielding

One of the major changes concerning batters is wasting time. Time wasting in cricket has been a major talking point over the years. A batter who is not ready to face the next delivery within the allotted time frame will receive a warning for the first offence, followed by a final warning for the second.

A five-run penalty will then be awarded to the fielding side for the third and every subsequent offence, with Code of Conduct provisions also possible for repeated breaches. Rules are also clarified around overthrows and fielding dismissals.

An overthrow will now specifically be referred to as an attempt to direct the ball towards the stumps in order to prevent runs or finish a run-out, while a misfield will not be treated as an overthrow. For a run-out or stumping, simply touching the ball while breaking the stumps will no longer be enough, and the fielder must have complete control of the ball. These new stumping rules will be implemented soon.

Key Changes to Ball, Test, ODI & T20I Rules

Women's Cricket and Junior Cricket balls will have tighter size and weight specifications, creating separate standards for Men's, Women's and Junior Cricket. The definition of when a ball is “finally settled” has also now been relaxed according to ICC new rules, giving umpires greater discretion. The ball no longer needs to be in the bowler's or wicketkeeper's hands.

In Test cricket, teams can mutually agree before the match to use a pink ball in a daytime Test to reduce interruptions caused by bad light. Also, the final over of the day's play will not automatically end when a wicket falls if the over is incomplete and conditions remain suitable for play.

For limited-overs cricket, T20Is will now have a fixed 15-minute interval, which can be reduced to 10 minutes if playing time has been lost. The ODI and T20I rules are also now aligned to allow the head coach to enter the field during drinks. Meanwhile, the leg-side wide trial has been made permanent in ODI and T20I cricket.