In a game-changing move, International Cricket Council (ICC) has officially approved a proposed modification to the two-ball rule in One Day Internationals (ODIs) and has also adopted a standardized concussion substitute protocol across all formats of men's international cricket, as per ESPN Cricinfo. These changes to the playing conditions, which were recommended by the ICC's men's cricket committee and subsequently ratified by the chief executives committee, are set to be implemented on different dates for each format.
Two-ball rule in ODIs changed
Notably, the new rules will take effect for Test matches starting on June 17, for ODIs from July 2, and for T20 Internationals (T20Is) beginning on July 10.
The alteration to the ODI playing conditions involves the usage of new balls. Under the current regulations, two new balls are utilised per innings in men's ODIs, with one ball used at each end of the pitch. But now as per the revised conditions, two new balls will still be used from the word go, but this will continue only until the end of the 34th over. Following the completion of the 34th over, the bowling team will have the option to choose one of the two balls, and this selected ball will then be used at both ends of the pitch for the remainder of the innings, from overs 35 to 50.
Interestingly, if an ODI match is reduced to 25 overs per side or less before the first innings has begun, the bowling side will be restricted to using only one new ball for the entirety of their bowling innings.
Regarding the new concussion protocols, teams will now be required to submit a list of their substitute players, along with their designated roles, to the match referee before the start of each match. This list will include one wicketkeeper, one batter, one seam bowler, one spin bowler, and one allrounder. This standardisation aims to provide greater clarity and prevent potential controversies surrounding concussion substitutes.
A notable instance that likely influenced this decision occurred in January of this year, during the fourth T20I between India and England, where India replaced batting allrounder Shivam Dube with bowling allrounder Harshit Rana as a concussion substitute.
Rana went on to take three wickets for 33 runs in the match, and the match referee's approval of his substitution sparked considerable debate at the time. By pre-designating players for specific roles, such ambiguous situations are expected to be avoided. Moreover, the new protocol also addresses scenarios where the initial concussion substitute themselves suffers a concussion and needs to be replaced. In such cases, the match referee will consider a player from outside the initially nominated five, adhering to the existing 'like-for-like' replacement principle. Finally, the playing conditions concerning catches have also been slightly modified, with the Marylebone Cricket Club (MCC) having disallowed the practice of taking a 'bunny hop' outside the boundary rope to claim a clean catch.