The International Cricket Council (ICC) has made some massive changes in playing conditions, announced on Friday. The changes came into effect after the recommendation of the ICC Men’s Cricket Committee, headed by Sourav Ganguly. While the use of stop clocks in Test cricket headlines the new set of rules updated in the ICC playing conditions, it also includes the changes in concussion replacement processes, the DRS wicket zone and deliberate short runs.
Notably, the new playing conditions in Tests have already been put into effect from the Sri Lanka versus Bangladesh first Test match on 17 June, which is also the first game of the new World Test Championship. In white-ball cricket, the new playing conditions will come into effect from the Sri Lanka vs Bangladesh series, starting from 2 July.
Complete guide to new ICC playing conditions
Stop Clock: After a successful introduction in white-ball cricket, Test cricket will also see a stop clock, with the bowling team needing to be ready to bowl the first ball of their next over within 60 seconds of the previous over being completed.
Failure to do so for the third time in an innings (following two warnings) will result in a five-run penalty imposed against the fielding team on each occasion. Two warning sanctions will be reset to zero after 80 overs have passed, in line with a new ball becoming available and again after any future blocks of 80 overs in that innings.
Number of balls per ODI innings: Two new balls will be used for the first 34 overs of an ODI innings, after which the fielding team will choose one of the balls for the remaining overs.
Boundary catches: Changes to the playing conditions now require a fielder who makes airborne contact with the ball beyond the boundary to then land and remain inside the boundary.
A fielder, after making their first contact with the ball, subsequently leaves the field of play, can only make contact with the ball once more while airborne beyond the boundary.
Having done so, they must land and remain wholly within the boundary. This applies even if another player completes the fielding. This change will be implemented in international cricket before it is included in the MCC Laws of Cricket next year.
Deliberate short run: Adding to the present five-run penalty for a deliberate short run, the fielding team will also choose which of the two batters takes a strike for the next delivery.
DRS wicket zone: The wicket zone will now be the actual outline of the stumps and bails.
Concussion protocols: There are two changes to the concussion protocols. Teams will now be required to nominate their designated concussion replacements for the match. This curbs the advantage previously held by home teams, who have typically been able to choose from a larger pool of potential replacements.
A player diagnosed with a concussion during a match must observe a minimum stand-down period of seven days before returning to play. The ICC Medical Advisory Committee has recommended this change to support players’ safety and well-being.
Playing conditions to be trialled by Full Members
The ICC Men’s Cricket Committee also listed a set of playing conditions to be implemented on a trial-and-run basis. The conditions will come into effect in October 2025 for an initial six-month period, and all the ICC full members must follow them.
Replacement players (domestic first-class cricket): A player who suffers a serious injury on the field of play at any time after the match has started (including any pre-match warm-up period) may be replaced for the remainder of the match by a fully participating like-for-like player.
Wide Ball Trial (ODI and T20I cricket): In an effort to provide leniency for a bowler who sees the batter moving around prior to or during a delivery, a new wide ball rule will be trialled. As part of the changes, the position of the batter’s legs at the point of delivery will now be used as the reference point for a wide, even if the batter subsequently moves across to the off side.
The trial will see a ball that passes the popping crease between the leg stump and the protected area marker not being called a Wide. To help with this, the protected area marker line will be extended to the popping crease and will act as a guide for the umpires. Any leg side delivery that passes behind the batter’s legs and outside of the line at the time the ball reaches the popping crease may still be called a Wide.
Previously, a wide had been called for a delivery that would not have been called wide if the batter had retained their normal batting position.