Published : 01 Oct 2026, 12:07 PM
Updated : 01 Oct 2026, 12:07 PM
The Marylebone Cricket Club (MCC) has enacted 73 amendments to the Laws of Cricket to restore equilibrium between bat and ball in the modern game.
The revised code, in force since Oct 1, targets a growing imbalance, with aggressive strokeplay and modern fitness levels tilting the contest heavily towards batters in recent years, Prameya News reports.
A wicket in the final over of a day’s play will no longer end the session on the spot. Incoming batters must now face the remaining deliveries of that over.
MCC officials say the tweak gives fielding sides a bigger reward for late breakthroughs and forces batting teams to rethink their nightwatchman strategies, per the Indian news outlet.
Fielders can no longer pull off the controversial bunny-hop catch on the boundary.
To complete a legal catch near the rope, a fielder must stay grounded inside the boundary for the rest of the delivery after first touching the ball.
A delivery passing above a batter’s head will now be ruled a wide rather than a no-ball, bringing the written law in line with professional match conditions.
Ball terminology has changed entirely, the report says. Dropping the traditional gendered and age-based labels, balls will be classified strictly as Size 1, Size 2 and Size 3.
To offset the spiralling cost of kits, Type D laminated bats are now cleared for open-age adult cricket, though national governing bodies keep the authority to regulate their use at specific levels.
Wicketkeepers get more leeway during the bowler’s run-up.
They will face no automatic penalty for extending their gloves in front of the stumps before delivery, provided they are fully behind the stumps when the ball is released.
Hit-wicket dismissals have clearer parameters too. A batter who loses balance after a shot and falls onto the stumps will be given out, settling a long-standing grey area.
The definition of a settled ball has also widened, according to Prameya News. The ball no longer needs to rest in the hands of the bowler or wicketkeeper to become dead. It can be held by any fielder or lie stationary on the turf.
Umpires now have precise guidelines on deliberate short running. Batters who change their minds mid-run can return to their original crease without penalty, even after crossing.
But penalty runs apply if umpires judge that the batters ran short on purpose to deceive the fielding side.
The fielding captain also earns the right to decide which batter takes strike for the next delivery.
Working closely with the International Cricket Council (ICC), the MCC has launched a dedicated smartphone app featuring the revised laws.
It offers them in English, Hindi and Urdu, with Kannada and Bangla translations to follow shortly.
