LONDON: The International Cricket Council (ICC) has confirmed interim changes to its playing rules and regulations, which include the ban on the use of saliva to shine the ball.
According to ICC Chief Executives’ Committee (CEC), the new regulations are designed to prevent the spread of COVID-19 and protect the safety of players and match officials when cricket resumes.
The interim changes include:
1. COVID-19 Replacements: Teams will be allowed to replace players displaying symptoms of COVID-19 during a Test match. In line with concussion replacements, the Match Referee will approve the nearest like-for-like replacement. However, the regulation for COVID-19 replacements will not be applicable in ODIs and T20Is.
2. Ban on applying saliva to the ball: Players will not be permitted to use saliva to shine the ball. A team can be issued up to two warnings per innings but repeated use of saliva on the ball will result in a 5-run penalty to the batting side.
3. Non-neutral umpires: The requirement to appoint neutral match officials will be temporarily removed from the playing conditions for all international formats owing to the current logistical challenges with international travel.
4. Additional DRS reviews: The CEC has also confirmed an additional unsuccessful DRS review for each team in each innings of a match. This will increase the number of unsuccessful appeals per innings for each team to three for Tests and two for the white-ball formats.
5. Additional logo allowed: Meanwhile, the CEC has also approved a relaxation of rules on apparel logos for the next 12 months.
A logo, not exceeding 32 square inches in size, may be placed on the chest of the Test match shirt and sweater in addition to the three other logos allowed as per regulations. As of now, logos on chests are only allowed in ODIs and T20Is.
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