Boundary catches to concussion protocols: Full list of changes in ICC playing conditions

The International Cricket Council (ICC) has announced changes to its playing conditions across various aspects of the game. A modification has been made to the two new balls rule in one-day cricket. Further, changes have also been announced with regard to boundary catches, concussion replacements and short runs. Meanwhile, a stop clock has been introduced in red-ball cricket as well.

While reports about changes in rules have been doing the rounds for the last couple of days, the new playing conditions were confirmed by the ICC on Friday, June 27 on their official website. The ICC report stated that the changes were recommended by the ICC Men’s Cricket Committee, headed by former India captain Sourav Ganguly.

Below is a detailed list of all changes announced to ICC's playing conditions.

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Tweak to two-ball rule in ODIs

As per updated ICC playing conditions for ODI matches, two new balls will be used for the first 34 overs of an innings. After that, the fielding side will have an option to choose one of the two balls for the remaining 16 overs of the innings. As per the existing rule, two new balls are used per innings in ODIs - one from each end.

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Boundary catches to test fielders

A significant change has been made to ICC's playing conditions for boundary catches. As per the modified regulation, an airborne fielder, while attempting a catch, can make contact with the ball beyond the boundary only once. The fielder then needs to land inside the field of play to complete the catch.

As per the existing rule, fielders can make multiple contacts with the ball beyond the boundary rope provided they are airborne. What matters is that when they complete the catch, they are back in the field of play.

The new rule will apply even if another fielder completes the catch. So, if a fielder takes a catch and flicks the ball to a teammate before his momentum takes him over the boundary, both fielders must be inside the field of play for the catch to be deemed legal. ICC has stated that this change will be implemented in international cricket before it is included in the MCC Laws of Cricket next year.

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Changes to concussion protocols

Two significant changes have been made to the concussion substitute rule as well. Teams will now have to nominate their concussion replacements for a match. Earlier, sides could choose from a wider pool of players.

Also, a cricketer who has been diagnosed with a concussion during a match will have to undergo a minimum stand-down period of seven days before returning to action. The ICC explained that this specific rule has been recommended by the ICC Medical Advisory Committee keeping players’ safety in mind.

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Stop clock in Test cricket

After its introduction in limited-overs cricket, the ICC has decided to introduce stop clock in Test cricket as well. As per the rules decided upon, the fielding team must be ready to bowl the first ball of their next over within a minute of the previous over being completed.

Two warnings will be given if the same is not implemented and a third transgression will result in a five-run penalty for the fielding team. The two warning sanctions will be reset to zero after 80 overs, when the new ball will become available for the bowling team.

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Deliberate short runs

Apart from the present five-run penalty for a deliberate short run, the fielding team will now also get a chance to pick which of the two batters they want on strike for the next delivery.

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DRS wicket zone

The wicket zone will now be the actual outline of the stumps and bails.

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When will the new ICC playing conditions be implemented?

The new playing conditions came into effect with the first game of the 2025-27 World Test Championship (WTC) between Sri Lanka and Bangladesh, which was played from June 17 to June 21.

Further, the new ODI and T20I rules will come into effect during the limited overs series between Sri Lanka against Bangladesh series. Three ODIs will be played between the Asian teams from July 2 to July 8, while three T20Is will be held from July 10 to July 16.