England's T20 Blast Forced ICC To Change Powerplay Rules For T20Is; Here’s How

The International Cricket Council (ICC) on June 26 changed the powerplay rules for T20Is, making a unique decision of not going by the overs but rather balls to determine the extent of powerplay in games reduced due to rain or any other circumstances. 

The T20 Blast, England’s domestic competition, paved the way for the change as it has been using that method for several years now. 

According to the new ICC rules, inspired by the T20 Blast, if a 20-over match is reduced, then the number of powerplay overs will also be reduced simultaneously, but not in the number of overs, but in the proportion of balls. 

For example, if a 20-over match is reduced to a 6-over contest, then previously, the powerplay used to be two overs, considering that a 6-over powerplay in a 20-over game roughly meant one third of the total overs in an innings and hence two overs in the reduced 6 over contest would also mean one-third of the total overs in an innings. 

But according to the new rules, now a 6-over contest will mean a match of 36 balls. In a 120-ball contest, if 36 balls are given as powerplay, then proportionately, in a 36-ball contest, 1.5 overs will be given as powerplay. 

ICC gave the following table as the new parameter of powerplay in reduced T20I games.

"This table has been used in the T20 Blast in England for many years, where ending a powerplay midway through an over has caused no difficulty for players or officials," an ICC communiqué to its members was quoted by ESPN. 

"It has now been accepted by the ICC Men's Cricket Committee as the preferred method moving forward. In the eight-over example above, the umpire will make the signal after two balls of the third over, at which point three further fielders are able to drop back from within the circle,” the communiqué explained further.