Red and Pink Ball In Same Test Match? ICC Set to Bring a Historic Rule

The International Cricket Council (ICC) is all set to conduct its Annual General Meeting. The ICC board meeting will be held in Ahmedabad on May 30 and 31, the same time when the IPL 2026 final will take place.

There will be quite a few agendas for the meeting and one of the prime things will be the major changes to the playing conditions across red-ball, white-ball and pink-ball cricket, including the possibility of using different coloured balls in the same format.

There are chances that these changes might come into effect soon just after the approval of the ICC Board following the meeting. Test cricket will mostly be under the scanner with the use of the pink ball under consideration.

Why ICC Wants Red and Pink Balls in Same Test Match?

As per the reports in Cricbuzz, the ICC is considering switching from the red ball to the pink ball during a conventional Test match. The pink ball will be used in the event of weather interruptions and bad light or in conditions, where the red ball isn’t suited.

However, it will only come into play if both sides agree. Although the exact details of the change are yet to be known, it is learned that mutual consent needs to be obtained before the start of the series. As per Cricbuzz, these rules are all set to come into effect from October 1.

Head Coach In Cricket Field In Internationals

Another point that will be under discussion will be allowing the head coach to enter the field during drinks breaks. This will mostly put ODI cricket in focus as only substitute players are permitted to enter the field of play in this format. This rule is already applicable in IPL and some of the biggest cricket leagues in the world where the coaches come into the field for discussion during time-out.

The ICC is also planning to reduce the innings break in T20I matches to 15 minutes. Not only this, another agenda is giving on-field umpires access to HawkEye data to check bowlers for illegal actions during matches. There is no clarity on how it will work, but ICC will soon be planning out a plan for it.

All these changes regarding were proposed and discussed during the ICC Chief Executives Committee (CEC) meeting held virtually on Thursday. Former India captain Sourav Ganguly, who is the head of the ICC Cricket Committee and a GOAT of cricket, was also present in the meeting. It remains to be seen when will the ICC new rules will come into effect among the proposed changes.