ICC Makes Massive Changes in Cricket Rules; Gives New Life to Bowlers

The International Cricket Council (ICC) has announced new changes to the rules of cricket. These updates will come into effect from June 2025 for Test matches, and from July 2025 for white-ball formats like ODIs and T20Is. One of the biggest changes is the return of the single ball rule in One Day Internationals (ODIs).
At present, ODIs are played with two new balls, one from each end, and they continue till the end of the innings. But starting in July, teams will begin the innings with two new balls. However, only one ball will be used from the 35th over onwards. This change brings back the older style of play. In that format, bowlers could get reverse swing in the final overs, which made the game more exciting.

What are the ICC New Rules?

The ICC released a statement to all cricket boards. As per the ICC new rules, the two new balls will be used from overs 1 to 34. After the 34th over ends, the fielding team will choose one of those balls to continue with. That ball will be used from overs 35 to 50, from both ends. It will remain in use unless it gets damaged and needs replacement.
If the match is reduced to 25 overs or fewer per side before the first innings starts, then only one new ball will be used per team. This ICC new rule is meant to make the game fair and balanced in shorter formats, too. With this rule, the art of reverse-swing, which was getting diminished in limited-overs cricket, is set to revive again.
Another important change is about replacement balls. If the ball needs to be changed during the match, the new ball must be in similar condition to the one being replaced. Also, the second ball, which is not used after the 34th over, will be kept aside and added to the pool of replacement balls.
This change has been welcomed by many fans and former players. This ICC new ball rule brings more life to the final overs of ODIs, with reverse swing becoming an option again.

Concussion Substitute Rule Becomes Stricter

The ICC has also made new rules for concussion substitutes. A concussion happens when a player gets hit on the head and suffers injury. Sometimes, these players need to be replaced during the match. From now on, before each game starts, every team must name five players who can act as concussion substitutes. These five players must include one batter, one wicketkeeper, one spinner, one fast bowler, and one all-rounder.

This rule will ensure that teams do not get an unfair advantage by choosing any player as a substitute during the match. The ICC explained that in very rare cases, if a concussion substitute also gets injured, the match referee will handle the situation. In such cases, the referee may allow a replacement from outside the five named players. The like-for-like rule will still apply. This change is made to protect players and ensure fair play. It also helps teams prepare better before matches.

When Will the ICC New Rules Begin?

These new playing conditions will begin soon. For Test matches, the rules will start with the Sri Lanka vs Bangladesh Test in Galle on June 17, 2025. However, the ICC confirmed that the current rules will still apply during the World Test Championship (WTC) final between Australia and South Africa, which begins on June 11 at Lord’s.
In white-ball cricket, the ICC rule changes will begin with the Sri Lanka vs. Bangladesh series. The first ODI of that series is on July 2 in Colombo. The T20I changes will start from the first match on July 10. The ICC also stated that further details on changes related to boundary catches and the Decision Review System (DRS) will be announced soon. All these new rules have already been approved by the ICC’s Chief Executives Committee (CEC).
These updates aim to make the game safer, fairer, and more exciting for players and fans alike.

Saliva Rule, Stop-Clock Rule, Short Run Rule and Other Changes

• The ICC has updated its rules about using saliva on the ball. Even though players still aren’t allowed to use saliva, umpires don’t have to change the ball every time a player is caught using it. This is to stop teams from putting saliva on the ball just to get a new one. Now, umpires will only change the ball if it looks very different, like if it’s too wet or extra shiny. It’s up to the umpires to decide this. If the ball starts behaving differently after the umpires say saliva hasn’t changed it, the ball won’t be replaced. However, the batting team will get five runs as a penalty.
• The ICC has started using a stop clock in Test cricket to help speed up slow overs. The fielding team has to begin each over within one minute. If they are late, the umpires will give two warnings, and after that, the team will lose five runs. The warnings go back to zero after every 80 overs. This rule started with the 2025-27 World Test Championship.
• Earlier, if a batter took a deliberate short run, the batting team got a five-run penalty. Now, if a batter doesn’t reach the crease on purpose to get an extra run, the umpires will let the fielding team choose which batter will face the next ball. The five-run penalty will still be given to the batting team.
• Imagine a batter is given out caught behind and asks for a review. The UltraEdge shows the ball only hit the pads, not the bat, so the catch is ruled out. Then the TV umpire checks if the batter is out lbw using ball-tracking. Earlier, if the catch was ruled out, the batter was automatically not out for lbw, even if ball-tracking showed an "umpire’s call." But now, the new rule says the ball-tracking will show the original decision as "out" for lbw. So if the review shows an "umpire’s call," the batter will be given out.