The playing conditions of international games are set to undergo a significant rule change, as announced by the International Cricket Council (ICC). These recommended alterations were put forth by both the men’s Cricket Committee, led by Sourav Ganguly, and the Women’s Cricket Committee. Implementing these rules is likely to have a notable impact on future matches.
Starting from June 1 2023, the changes in playing conditions will be implemented, beginning with the four-day one-off Test match between England and Ireland at Lord’s. Subsequently, the new playing conditions will also be applied to the upcoming World Test Championship (WTC) final between India and Australia, which commences on June 7.
Here are the changes that fans will get to see in the upcoming days:
No more soft signal
The requirement for umpires to give soft signals before going to the third umpire has been taken down. Under the new rules, the third umpire is now empowered to make a decision without any influence from the soft signal.
Notably, the soft signal rule has been controversial, with many cricket experts calling for its abolition. For the unversed, a ‘soft signal’ refers to the initial on-field decision made by the umpire at the bowler’s end, which is communicated visually to the third umpire.
“Soft signals have been discussed at previous cricket committee meetings over the last couple of years. The committee deliberated this at length and concluded that soft signals were unnecessary and at times confusing since referrals of catches may seem inconclusive in replays,” said Ganguly, as quoted by ICC.
Helmets mandatory for high-risk positions
Helmets and other safety gear have been made mandatory for batters and fielders in certain positions. In case of facing a quick bowler, batters are required to wear appropriate headgear for their protection. Likewise, a wicket-keeper positioned close to a fast bowler must also wear a helmet. This rule extends to fielders nearby as well. The committee has demonstrated its dedication to player safety by implementing such a regulation.
“We also discussed player safety, which is very important for us.The committee decided that it was best to make the use of helmets mandatory in certain positions to ensure the safety of players,” Ganguly added.
New free hit rule
Regarding the third rule, in the event of the ball hitting the wicket during a free hit and the batter successfully taking run(s), the runs will be credited to the batter. This change is expected to provide an advantage to the batting team.
