Islamabad(TheCOWNews Digital)The International Cricket Council (ICC) has announced significant changes to the rules governing all three formats of men’s cricket—Test, One Day Internationals (ODIs), and T20 Internationals. The amendments, aimed at restoring balance between bat and ball, were proposed by the ICC Men’s Cricket Committee and approved by the Chief Executives’ Committee.
One of the most notable changes affects ODI matches. Previously, two new balls were used from both ends throughout the 50 overs of each innings. However, under the new rule, this practice will only continue until the end of the 34th over. From the 35th over onward, only one of the two balls will be selected by the bowling team and used from both ends until the innings concludes.
This change is expected to benefit bowlers—particularly in the final overs—by bringing back the possibility of reverse swing, a skill that has diminished due to the use of consistently new balls.
Additionally, for matches reduced to 25 overs or fewer, only one ball will be used throughout the innings. This move is also seen as a way to address concerns about the high-scoring nature of modern ODIs and to bring bowlers back into contention during the death overs.
Another major reform introduced is the ‘Concussion Substitutes Policy’, now expanded and renamed to ‘Concussion and Tactical Substitutes Policy’. Under this policy, each team will be required to name five substitute players before the start of any international match. The five substitutes must include a wicketkeeper, a batsman, a fast bowler, a spinner, and an all-rounder.
If any of these five substitute players also become unavailable due to injury or other reasons, the team may—with match referee approval—bring in an additional player who was not among the originally nominated five.
These new rules will be implemented in phases. For Test matches, the rules will take effect from June 17; for ODIs, from July 2; and for T20 Internationals, from July 10.
The ICC’s aim with these revisions is to evolve the game in line with changing dynamics while ensuring fairness and competitiveness between bat and ball across all formats.
