ICC Rolls Out Sweeping Changes to Playing Conditions Across Formats

The ICC has announced a fresh wave of rule changes set to impact cricket across all formats — from tweaks in fielding laws to updates on how umpire reviews are handled. These updates, some already in effect, promise to change how the game is played and watched, especially with the new World Test Championship (WTC) cycle already underway.

The new WTC cycle kicked off with Sri Lanka taking on Bangladesh at Galle, and that's where the first of these changes — including the introduction of a stop clock in Tests — came into play. Meanwhile, changes in white-ball cricket, such as a new trial wide-ball rule and updated review protocols, will take effect from July 2. 

Stop clock comes to Tests 

The stop clock, which was first tested in white-ball formats, has now made its way to Test cricket. Fielding teams must now be ready to bowl the next over within 60 seconds of the previous one finishing. If they don’t, the umpires will issue two warnings. Any further delay will result in a five-run penalty. Warnings reset after every 80 overs, and the countdown runs from 0 to 60. 

No automatic ball change for saliva use 

The long-standing saliva ban remains in place, but umpires are no longer required to change the ball if a player uses it. This move is meant to discourage teams from using saliva deliberately to manipulate ball changes. Now, the decision to replace the ball will be based on how visibly the ball has changed — a call entirely left to the umpires’ discretion. 

Combined reviews: Order matters now 

There’s a major change in how combined reviews (when there are two potential dismissals in one ball) are handled. From now on, the incidents will be reviewed in the order they happened. So, if there’s an LBW appeal and a run-out at the same time, the TV umpire will first check for LBW. If the batter is out on that count, the run-out check becomes irrelevant since the ball is considered dead at the moment of the first dismissal. 

DRS: LBW second reviews just got trickier 

Previously, if a batter was initially given out caught and reviewed it, once UltraEdge showed there was no bat involved, the TV umpire would automatically shift to ‘not out’ for any second mode of dismissal like LBW — even if the original on-field decision was out. But not anymore. Under the updated rule, if ball-tracking for LBW results in an umpire’s call, the on-field 'out' decision will stand. 

Boundary catches under the spotlight 

In a bid to bring clarity to the boundary catch law, the ICC now requires fielders who make contact with the ball beyond the ropes to land and remain fully inside the boundary after their final contact. If a fielder steps out of play and makes contact with the ball again while airborne, that’s only allowed once — and they must then land completely inside the field for the catch to count. This change will come into effect in internationals soon and be adopted by the MCC Laws next year. 

Trial rule: Full-time injury replacements in domestic first-class cricket 

There’s also a potentially game-changing trial being introduced in domestic first-class cricket. Boards will now be allowed to test the idea of full-time injury replacements for players who suffer obvious, visible external injuries. Like concussion subs, the replacements must be ‘like for like’. However, this doesn’t apply for muscle strains or soft-tissue niggles. It’s up to individual boards to implement the trial in their domestic red-ball competitions. 

Minimum seven-day stand-down for concussion 

Finally, in a big step towards prioritizing player health, any player diagnosed with a concussion must now observe a minimum stand-down period of seven days before returning to competitive action. With these changes, the ICC seems intent on addressing long-standing loopholes and evolving the sport to keep up with modern demands — whether it's speeding up the game or tightening interpretation of tricky rules.