Follow UsAccording to reports by Cricbuzz, the International Cricket Council (ICC) is considering major changes to the rules of the game.
The biggest of those changes is amending the two-new-ball rule in ODIs, which allowed teams to start with two new balls from either end. In the proposed change in the rule, the ICC wishes to continue with both new balls until the 25th over and then let the bowling team decide which one of the two balls they want to bowl the remaining 25 overs with.
So, essentially, this isn’t scrapping the rule entirely, but amending it slightly to ensure that the ball remains in good condition. It’s notable here that based on players' and match officials' observations, the white kookaburra ball used in ODI cricket is either disfigured or discoloured around the 35-over mark.
Through this proposed rule change, the ICC wants to ensure a middle ground so that the old ball reverses at death and the balance between the ball and bat can be restored.
The other proposed change by the ICC Cricket Committee headed by Sourav Ganguly is introducing a clock in the playing conditions of Test cricket with an upper limit of 60 seconds between overs. The introduction of a clock has helped to control the slow over-rate issue in white-ball cricket. The committee aims to complete 90 overs on a full day of Test cricket.
The third and final change being proposed is to play the Men’s U19 World Cup in the 20-over format. Currently, it’s played in the ODI format, but since two successful editions of the Women’s U19 World Cup have been held in the T20 format, the committee has precedent to base the implementation of this change on. However, whatever changes are made will only be applicable from the next broadcast cycle for the ICC, which starts in 2028.