ICC announces five-run penalty for batters wasting time

The International Cricket Council (ICC) announced on Thursday a series of changes to its playing conditions, including a five-run penalty for batters who waste time. Under the new rules, batters found to take three or more times too long to face their first delivery can be penalized. While there is no fixed time limit between deliveries, a batter is expected to be ready for each ball promptly.

The ICC stated that a warning will be given for the first offence, a final warning for the second, and five penalty runs will be awarded to the fielding side for each subsequent offence. The warnings are reset at the end of innings or after every 80 overs. The governing body also introduced three distinct ball specifications for men’s, women’s, and junior cricket, as well as allowing pink balls to be trialled in daytime tests with team agreement.