India vs Australia WTC final to be played under new cricket rules; soft signal removed

The main changes to the playing conditions will come into effect on June 1 with the Lord’s Test between England and Ireland.

REPRESENTATIVE IMAGE: The upcoming World Test Championship final between India and Australia will be played under these changes.  | Photo Credit: REUTERS

Highlights

• Soft signal scrapped
• Helmets mandatory in high risk positions
• Runs allowed if ball hits stumps off free hits

The International Cricket Council (ICC), on Monday, announced an array of changes to the playing conditions, including the termination of soft signals from on-field umpires.

The main changes to the playing conditions will come into effect on 1 June 2023 with the Lord’s Test between England and Ireland. The upcoming World Test Championship (WTC) final between India and Australia from June 7 will also be played under these changes.

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“Umpires will no longer be required to give a soft signal while referring decisions to the TV umpires. The on-field umpires will consult with the TV umpire before any decisions are taken.” ICC said.

ICC chairman Sourav Ganguly said “Soft signals have been discussed at previous cricket committee meetings over the last couple of years. The committee deliberated this at length and concluded that soft signals were unnecessary and at times confusing since referrals of catches may seem inconclusive in replays.”

List of other changes:

Helmets: Helmet protection will be mandatory in international cricket for the following high-injury risk positions: (i) when batters are facing fast bowlers, (ii) when wicketkeepers are standing up to the stumps, and (iii) when fielders are close to the batter in front of the wicket.

Runs off a Free Hit: Any runs scored off a Free Hit when the ball hits the stumps will count as runs scored, to be consistent with all other runs scored from a free hit.