The International Cricket Council (ICC) has confirmed a series of changes in the playing condition ahead of the T20I World Cup in Australia. These tweaks will come into effect from October 1, meaning upcoming India’s series against Australia will be played under the purview of the existing rules.

The changes were proposed by the committee headed by the current BCCI president Sourav Ganguly, and it included a host of former cricketers and administrators.

“It was an honor chairing my first meeting of the ICC Cricket Committee,” Ganguly said. “I was pleased with the productive contribution of the Committee members which resulted in key recommendations being made.”

Five Run Penalty For Unfair Field Movement

The batting side will be awarded five runs if a fielder makes deliberate and unfair movement, and it will also be declared a dead ball. Under the existing rules, such violation from the fielders resulted in only a dead ball, thus even a great shot from the batter is canceled without any fault of their own. Any movement from the fielder while the bowler is running into a bowl is considered unfair.

Time Limit In Test And ODIs

The time limit for an incoming batter to get ready to face the ball has been reduced by one minute in both ODI and Tests. In these two formats, the batter will now have just 120 seconds after the fall of the wicket to take strike. In the T20s, the time limit of 90 seconds remains the same. This means there will be less wastage of time after dismissals.

New Batter Take Strike

This rule was announced earlier this year and is already implemented in matches across formats. The incoming batter is supposed to take strike irrespective of the batter’s position on the pitch when the catch is grabbed. Earlier, if the batters have crossed each other before the catch is completed, the new batter can start at the non-striker’s end.

No Change In Saliva Ban

The saliva ban which came into effect in the wake of COVID-19 is not going anywhere. Using saliva was a prevalent method to maintain the shine of the ball, but since the cricket ball was viewed as the vector of the disease, this practice was banned. Even though the pandemic has subsided the ban will stay in place. In the absence of saliva, fast bowlers normally apply sweat to keep the shine.

Running Out Non-Striker No Longer Unfair

The ICC has decided to remove running out a non-striker from the “Unfair Play” to “Run Out” section. R Ashwin, whose act rekindled the debate over this mode of dismissal, can be thought of as the catalyst for this change. Ashwin and bowlers across the world can now run out the non-strikers without any hesitation from the attack they face from the ‘Spirit of the Game’ warrior.

Lead Image: IPL/Twitter