The International Cricket Council (ICC) has introduced a new rule for the bowling teams in men's ODIs and T20Is. To avoid a delay in between overs, the apex cricket board has introduced a five-run penalty which will be imposed if the bowler exceeds the 60-second limit of bowling the next over for the third time in an innings.
The decision was taken at the board's meeting in Ahmedabad on November 21.
"The CEC agreed to introduce a stop clock on a trial basis in men's ODI and T20I cricket from December 2023 to April 2024. The clock will be used to regulate the amount of time taken between overs.
"If the bowling team is not ready to bowl the next over within 60 seconds of the previous over being completed, a 5-run penalty will be imposed the third time it happens in an innings," said the ICC in a statement.
However, the new rule is not final and has been introduced on a trial basis. It means that the first three T20Is of the upcoming five-match T20I series between India and Australia will not feature this rule. However, it will be used in the remaining two matches which will be played on December 1 and 3.
While the timed-out dismissal of Sri Lankan all-rounder Angelo Mathews against Bangladesh in ICC Men’s ODI World Cup 2023 caused controversy, the call for a five-run penalty will be made automatically by the umpires using the stop clock.
The move may help prevent the duration of a T20I from exceeding the time allotted for it to be completed. ICC has sanctioned captains and players but the over rate has seen an improvement.
In addition, ICC also made a change to its process of banning a venue from hosting an international game due to pitch and outfield conditions.
"Changes to the pitch and outfield monitoring regulations were also approved, including a simplification of the criteria against which a pitch is assessed and increasing the threshold for when a venue could have its international status removed from five demerit points to six demerit points over a five-year period," the ICC said.
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