Dubai: The International Cricket Council (ICC) has officially announced a series of changes to the playing conditions across all three formats of men’s international cricket — Tests, One Day Internationals (ODIs), and T20 Internationals (T20Is).
These updates aim to enhance the balance between bat and ball and will be implemented over the coming weeks.
Key Change in ODIs: Modified Two-Ball Rule
One of the most significant updates affects ODIs, specifically the use of two new balls. Under the previous rule, each ball was used from one end for the first 25 overs.
Now, both balls will be used up to the 34th over. From the 35th over onwards, teams must choose one of the two balls to use for the remaining overs.
In matches reduced to 25 overs or fewer, only one ball will be used throughout the innings.
This change is designed to help bowlers, especially in producing reverse swing in the death overs — a skill that had diminished due to the consistently hard condition of newer balls.
Updated Concussion Substitute Policy
Teams are now required to name five substitute players before each match, with each fulfilling a specific role: one wicketkeeper, one batter, one seam bowler, one spin bowler, and one all-rounder.
This ensures fair like-for-like replacements in the event of a concussion. If a substitute also sustains an injury, the match referee may permit an additional replacement from outside the original list.
These ICC regulations will take effect from June 17 for Test matches, July 2 for ODIs, and July 10 for T20 Internationals, and currently apply only to men’s cricket.
MCC and ICC to Ban ‘Bunny-Hop’ Boundary Catches
In a separate development, the Marylebone Cricket Club (MCC) and the ICC are set to outlaw the controversial ‘bunny-hop’ boundary catches — where fielders, while airborne beyond the boundary line, tap the ball back into play without landing inside the field.
According to the reports, catches where fielders jump from outside the boundary and remain airborne while redirecting the ball back into play will now be deemed illegal. For a catch to be valid, the fielder must land inside the field of play after making contact with the ball.
However, catches where a fielder pushes the ball up from inside the boundary, steps out due to momentum, and then dives back in to complete the catch will still be allowed.
This new law will officially come into effect from October 2026, but will be reflected in the ICC’s playing conditions as early as next week.
“MCC has devised a new wording where the ‘bunny hop’ wholly beyond the boundary is removed, but these catches where the fielder pushes the ball up from inside the boundary, steps outside and then dives back in to catch the ball, are permitted,” the report quoted a MCC note as saying.
