The new rule has come into effect with the beginning of the 2025-27 WTC cycle.
The International Cricket Council (ICC) has introduced a stop clock in Test cricket to deal with slow over rates. The new rule has come into effect with the beginning of the 2025-27 World Test Championship (WTC) cycle.
According to the rule, the fielding side shall be ready to start each over within 60 seconds of the previous over being completed. An electronic clock will be displayed on the ground that counts up seconds from zero to 60.
The fielding team will be given two warnings and if the rule is flouted for the third time, the batting side will be awarded five penalty runs. The warning count will be reset to zero after the completion of 80 overs.
The stop clock rule has already been in effect in the white-ball formats involving Full Members since June 1, 2024.
Here's a summary of the most notable adjustments across formats:
Saliva and changing the ball
In other updates to the playing conditions, it is no longer necessary for the umpires to change the ball once saliva is found on it even though the ban on the use of saliva remains in force. This move is aimed at preventing bowling teams from intentionally applying saliva to manipulate ball replacement. The changing of the ball—though largely left to the choice of the umpires—can only happen if its condition has been changed drastically.
Default decision ‘out’ for secondary review
In the case of a secondary review after an ‘out’ decision by the on-field umpire, the default decision for the subsequent mode of dismissal will be ‘out’.
Scenario: A batter reviews after he/she has been adjudged caught behind by the on-field umpire. UltraEdge shows that there was no bat involved but the ball was in contact with the batter’s pads. Subsequently, when the TV umpire turns to ball-tracking to determine whether the batter was out ‘lbw’, the default decision for this mode of dismissal will be ‘out’. Thus, if ball-tracking shows it is ‘umpire’s call’, the batter will be adjudged out.
Chronology in combined review
Under updated review protocols, when both an umpire and a player refer the same delivery for different incidents — such as LBW and run out — the TV umpire will check them in the order they unfolded. Previously, umpire reviews were addressed first, regardless of timing.
As per Rule 3.9, if the first review results in a dismissal, the ball will be declared dead, making any subsequent incident irrelevant. For example, if the batter is found out LBW, a follow-up run-out review will not be considered.
Catch off a no-ball
Earlier, if a no-ball was found during a check for a contentious catch, the third umpire would skip assessing the fairness of the catch. Under the revised rule, the fairness of the catch will still be reviewed. If it's clean, the batting side will only receive the extra run for the no-ball. If not, any runs completed by the batters will count.
Deliberate short run
While the five-run penalty for deliberately stealing an extra run (short run) remains in place, the modified rules mandate that the fielding team can decide which batter it wants on strike in such an event.
Trial for new player replacement rule
The ICC has also suggested member Boards to trial a rule relating to replacement players in their domestic First-Class tournaments. The rule involves allowing a team to field a like-for-like replacement for a player who has sustained ‘serious external injury’.