ICC modifies rule surrounding caught-behind check during stumping referrals - Reports

The International Cricket Council (ICC) has announced in a series of new rule changes that caught-behind appeals will not be checked by the third umpire during stumping referrals sent upstairs. As a result, teams will not be able to appeal and check for a potential caught-behind dismissal without risking a review.

Earlier, the protocol suggested that caught-behind calls be checked first before the stumping. However, with the rule change, the third umpire will only be able to view the side on camera, which will clarify the verdict for the stumping appeal.

Teams used to exploit the particular loophole by making unnecessary stumpings and sending it upstairs to check whether there is a case for caught behind, without actually taking a review.

The issue was prevalent in the 2023 Border-Gavaskar Trophy, where Australian wicketkeeper Alex Carey effected several stumpings, leading to the third-umpire being forced to check caught-behind first, before moving onto the side-on camera.

"The change confines a stumping review to only check for stumped, therefore preventing the fielding team a free review for other modes of dismissal (i.e, caught behind) without choosing a player review," a report in Cricbuzz mentions.

The rule came into force on December 12, 2023, with a formal announcement being imminent. The ICC has also introduced a small tweak to the concussion substitution rule as well.

"(It) provides clarity in the regulations to ensure that a replacement player will not be permitted to bowl if the replaced player was suspended from bowling at the time of their concussion," the report further states.

There are also some small tweaks announced by the governing body about no-ball checks as well as time allotted for on-field injury treatments.

"The third umpire will have broader scope to automatically check all forms of foot fault no ball in addition to the front foot," the new rule states. Clarifies the time limit (maximum four minutes) allowed for an on-field assessment or treatment of an injury."

The new set of rules aims for the game to be played more seamlessly in 2024 and beyond.

BCCI introduces changes to playing conditions and rules ahead of the 2024 Ranji Trophy season

With the Ranji Trophy season set to commence from Friday, January 5, onwards, the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) has made slight alterations to the playing conditions.

The most prominent rule change comes in the form of penalty runs if there is an unfair movement by the fielder when the ball is still in play.

"In the event of such unfair movement, either umpire shall call and signal Dead ball and inform the other umpire of the reason for doing so. The bowler's end umpire shall then: 'award the one-run penalty for Wide or No ball, if applicable'; 'award 5 Penalty runs to the batting side; inform the captain of the fielding side of the reason for this action'; 'inform the batters and, as soon as practicable, the captain of the batting side of what has occurred," BCCI's new rule explains.

"The striker has a right to play the ball, or to make a legitimate second strike, after it has been delivered, without interference from the wicket-keeper or any other fielder," BCCI's rule over striker's right to play the ball mentions.

The aforementioned rules were in effect during BCCI's white-ball domestic competitions - the Vijay Hazare Trophy and the Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy - in 2023.

The highly-anticipated rule surrounding two bouncers per over, which will be witnessed in the 2024 Indian Premier League (IPL) was also enforced in the 2023 Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy.