T20 Playing Conditions: ICC changes the rules of T20 cricket
The International Cricket Council (ICC) has announced a change in the playing conditions of T20 Internationals on Friday. This rule will come into effect from the only T20 match between West Indies and Ireland to be held at Sabina Park on 16 January.
Sunil Shukla 
T20 Playing Conditions: The International Cricket Council (ICC) has announced a change in the playing conditions of T20 International on Friday. This rule will come into effect from the only T20 match between West Indies and Ireland to be held at Sabina Park on 16 January.
According to the rules, the penalty for slow over-rate in men's and women's T20 Internationals will be imposed during the match itself. Also, an optional drinks break of 2.5 minutes will be taken in between each innings in the bilateral T20 International series. But for this, before the T20 series, the boards of both countries will have to make an agreement about this.
The over rate rules are set out in Section 13.8 of the Playing Conditions, which stipulate that a fielding side must be in a position to bowl the first ball of the last over of the innings within a stipulated or rescheduled time.
Now according to the new rules, if a team is behind the stipulated time in the over rate, then in the remaining overs, one less player will be allowed outside the radius of 30 yards. In such a situation, the additional fielder will stand within a radius of 30 yards. Currently, five fielders can remain outside 30 yards after the powerplay. But on getting the penalty for over rate, only four fielders will
be able to stay out.
The change was recommended by the ICC Cricket Committee, which regularly discusses ways to improve the rules of the game across all formats. Similar rules were also included in The Hundred competition organized by the ECB.
The first T20 of the three-match series between South Africa and West Indies on January 18 at Centurion will be the first women's T20 match to be played in the new playing conditions.
