Two-ball rule gets approved
The ICC has officially approved the modification to the two-ball rule in One Day Internationals (ODIs). Additionally, updates to the concussion substitute protocol in men’s international cricket have also been given the go-ahead.
When will the new rules start?
The new rules were suggested by the ICC Men’s Cricket Committee and approved by the Chief Executive Committee. They will come into effect from June 17 in Test matches, July 2 in ODIs, and July 10 in T20Is.
Here’s the new way two balls will be used in ODIs
Currently, two new balls are used during an ODI innings one from each end. Under the new rules, two new balls will be used from the start of the innings up to the 34th over. From the 35th over onwards, only one ball will be used from both ends, and the bowling team will decide which one to continue with.
An effort to bring balance between batting and bowling
According to the ICC, the aim of this change is to restore the balance between bat and ball, as there have been ongoing concerns that batters have had too much of an advantage in recent times.
New rules for concussion substitutes
As per the new concussion protocol, teams will have to provide the names of their substitute players to the match referee before the start of the match based on the following roles, which will include a wicketkeeper, a batsman, a fast bowler, a spinner and an all-rounder.
In January this year, India had brought in bowling all-rounder Harshit Rana as a concussion substitute in the fourth T20I against England in place of batting all-rounder Shivam Dube. Rana took 3 for 33 in the match and the decision to allow him to play became a matter of much debate. Now such situations can be avoided by the roles in which the players will be nominated. If the substitute player also gets injured, the referee can approve an out player on a “like-for-like” basis.
New rules related to catching
Changes have also been made in the rules related to catching, in which MCC has declared it illegal to catch a catch by going outside the boundary through ‘bunny hop’. This rule will be applicable from the Sri Lanka-Bangladesh Test series, which is to be played from June 17.
The post ICC announces major change to ODI cricket ahead of 2027 World Cup to make the game more balanced appeared first on Cricket Country.
