Dubai: The International Cricket Council (ICC) has introduced several significant changes to the playing conditions for Test cricket, including the use of a stop clock to combat slow over rates, as part of the 2025–2027 World Test Championship (WTC) cycle. These updated regulations came into effect with the ongoing two-Test series between Sri Lanka and Bangladesh in Galle.
According to the revised ICC Test Match Playing Conditions published on the governing body’s website, the stop clock mechanism—already in use in limited-overs cricket—has now been incorporated into Test matches to improve over-rate efficiency. Under the new rule, the fielding side must be ready to commence a new over within 60 seconds of the completion of the previous one. An electronic clock will be prominently displayed at the ground, counting up from zero to sixty seconds.
Fielding sides will be allowed two warnings if they fail to comply with the time limit. Upon a third breach, the batting side will be awarded five penalty runs. Notably, these warnings will be reset after 80 overs in an innings.
Further changes include an update on how short runs are handled. If the umpires determine a “deliberate short run” was attempted—where at least one batter intentionally fails to make their ground while appearing to run multiple runs—the batting team will not be credited with any runs for that delivery. In such cases, the umpire will nullify the runs, return the not-out batter to their original end, signal a no-ball or wide if applicable, inform scorers with a short-run signal, award five penalty runs to the fielding side, and ask the captain to choose which batter will take strike for the next delivery.
The ICC has also updated the rules concerning referrals and umpire reviews. If both the on-field umpire and a player make separate referrals for the same delivery, the reviews will be conducted in chronological order based on when they occurred. In instances where a player challenges an ‘out’ decision—such as caught-behind—and the ball is later found to have hit the pad instead of the bat, the TV umpire will then assess if the batter is out leg-before-wicket (LBW). In these situations, the default outcome for the second mode of dismissal (LBW) will remain ‘out’. If the ball-tracking technology returns an 'umpire's call', the batter will be adjudged out.
Additionally, the ICC has clarified that in cases where a no-ball leads to a catch, the third umpire will now review whether the catch was clean. If the catch is deemed fair, the batting side will still receive the extra run for the no-ball. If the catch was not taken cleanly, the batting side will retain any runs completed before the dismissal.
Another point addressed relates to the lingering ban on the use of saliva to shine the ball—a regulation that remains in effect. While there have been suggestions that players might deliberately apply saliva to prompt a ball change, the current playing conditions do not specify any procedural updates regarding such situations.
With these changes, the ICC has signalled a renewed emphasis on fairness, pace of play, and technological clarity in Test cricket, aligning it more closely with the modern demands of the game while preserving its traditional integrity.
With PTI inputs