October 1, 2026

Batters can now be slapped with a five-run penalty if they are found to be wasting time -ICC

Batters can now be slapped with a five-run penalty if they are found to be wasting time on three occasions in a single innings.

That’s according to the most recent changes to the ICC’s playing conditions, which took effect today.

According to the ICC release: “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.”

Meanwhile, women’s and junior cricket will have their own uniform ball specifications.

The ICC release stated: “New limits have now been introduced, establishing three distinct size and weight specifications for men’s, women’s and junior cricket.”

Other changes announced by the ICC include giving umpires greater leeway in determining whether a ball is finally settled, which can often be extremely important, particularly on the final ball of a close game.

The ICC has also clarified that, to effect a run-out or stumping, the fielder or wicketkeeper must have complete control of the ball. Merely touching the ball and breaking the stumps does not count.

Also mentioned in the latest ICC release is confirmation that pink balls are available for daytime Test matches, and that a wicket in the final over of the day does not automatically result in stumps being called in multi-day matches.