The International Cricket Council (ICC) has revealed notable amendments to its playing conditions for men’s international cricket, applicable to all formats.
The upcoming changes to white-ball cricket will take effect on July 2, although some have already been incorporated into the 2025–27 World Test Championship (WTC) cycle.
In Test Cricket, the stop-clock:
The addition of a stop clock to Test cricket, which was implemented to address slow over rates, is among the most significant modifications.
Within 60 seconds of the end of the previous over, fielding teams must be prepared to start the next one. The first two infractions will result in warnings from the umpires, and any further infractions will result in a five-run penalty.
It is anticipated that this measure, which was already implemented for the WTC cycle, will improve the game’s flow.
Amendment to the “Saliva rule”:
The saliva rule has also been updated.
Although saliva is still prohibited, umpires will not change the ball right away if a fielding team applies saliva unless it has clearly changed condition.
The batting team will receive five runs if the ball exhibits unusual behavior, but the ball will not be changed.
DRS modifications:
DRS procedures have also been modified.
If the ball-tracking indicates a “umpire’s call,” the secondary mode of dismissal, such as LBW, will still result in a “out” decision in the event that a batter is given out caught and the review reveals no bat involvement.
The modification is in line with a more uniform method of decision review.
The combined appeals rule:
Reviews will now be handled in the order that they happened in cases with combined appeals, like LBW and run out.
Because the second review won’t be taken into account if the first incident results in a dismissal, this guarantees a more equitable and consistent process.
The catch-dismissal no-ball rule has been modified:
Additionally, the no-ball and catch fairness rule has been modified.
The TV umpire will still examine the catch’s fairness even if a no-ball is called during the review of a catch.
Any unfair catch will give the batting side the runs they scored prior to the dismissal, whereas a clean catch will only give them the no-ball run.
Batters’ extra-run penalty:
More severe sanctions for intentional short runs have also been implemented by the ICC.
If a batter is found to have purposefully failed to make their ground in order to gain an extra run, the fielding captain will now have the option of choosing which batter stays on strike in addition to the previous five-run penalty.
The ICC’s continued efforts to improve the game’s fairness and competitiveness in all formats are reflected in these changes.
In the upcoming weeks, players, coaches, and spectators will all be closely monitoring the implementation of these changes, which are expected to affect playing conditions as well as the general tempo of games.
