The changes will be effective for all international series starting on October 1 or later, but ongoing series will be played under the previous rules. File
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The International Cricket Council (ICC) on Thursday (October 1, 2026) introduced a slew of changes to the Playing Conditions across all formats, including new measures to address time-wasting, standardise ball specifications, and clarify certain aspects of fielding.
The changes will take effect for all international series starting on October 1 or later, but ongoing series will be played under the previous rules.
The ICC Men’s Cricket Committee Chair, Sourav Ganguly, in a statement, said “There are some important changes to the Playing Conditions, including provisions relating to cricket balls, greater clarity around certain aspects of fielding and measures aimed at improving the pace of the game.”
Mr. Ganguly said that the changes were brought in “to ensure the playing conditions continue to reflect the needs of the modern game while maintaining its integrity and consistency”.
The changes applicable to all formats of cricket include penalties for batters wasting time, tighter tolerance for the size and weight of women’s cricket balls, on overthrows, ball settling, and complete control over the ball.
The new rules on penalties for batters wasting time state that “if a batter is not ready to face the ball within the prescribed time, a warning will be issued for the first offence, a final warning for the second, and five penalty runs awarded to the fielding side for the third and each subsequent offence. Code of Conduct provisions may also be invoked in cases of repeated offences”.
Regarding Test cricket, the ICC said, “As a trial, pink balls may be used in daytime Tests by mutual agreement to reduce loss of play due to bad light. The use of a pink ball must be agreed before the start of the Test, and once agreed, must apply for the duration of the match. The decision cannot be changed after the match has started. Switching from a red to a pink ball is also not allowed once the match has commenced.”
“The changes applicable to all formats of cricket include penalties for batters wasting time, tighter tolerance for the size and weight of women’s cricket balls, and provisions on overthrows, ball settled, and complete control over the ball.”
Published – October 01, 2026 05:47 pm IST
