As well as the changes to our own formats as set out by NZ Cricket, there have been changes made to the general laws of cricket which are summarised below.
Senior teams should check with their Umpires regarding interpretations of the new laws, while players and coaches who also officiate should check these so that they know what is happening too.
ICC Laws
This year has seen a full overhaul of the Laws of Cricket by the MCC. While many of the rule changes are not relevant for community cricket there are some that you should be aware of.
- The new Code of Laws is written in language applying to all persons, regardless of gender. The new Code includes an increased use of generic nouns like ‘fielder’ and ‘bowler’ and uses ‘he/she’ when required, together with a broadened disclaimer covering all genders. The term ‘batsman’ remains, however.
- The Handled the ball Law has been deleted, with its contents merged into Obstructing the field, reducing the list of dismissals from ten to nine. This will have no effect on whether a batsman is dismissed; rather, it is just the method of dismissal that might be changed.
- Law 5 (The Bat) places limits on the thickness of the edges and the overall depth of the bat. The maximum dimensions will be 108mm in width (unchanged), 67mm in depth with 40mm edges.
- Law 8.3.4. has been changed, to help prevent injuries, to allow specially designed mechanisms which tether the bails to the stumps, thereby restricting the distance that they can fly off the stumps but without limiting their ability to be dislodged.
- Law 30 (Batsman out of his/her ground) has been amended to give protection to a running or diving batsman whose bat bounces up after having been grounded beyond the popping crease.
- Law 41.15 now prevents the batsman from taking stance in a position where he/she will inevitably encroach on the protected area.
- Law 41.16 has changed so that the non-striker risks being Run out if he/she leaves his/her ground before the bowler would normally be expected to release the ball.
To see a full summary of all law changes that have taken place click here.
Click here for the Laws of Cricket in full.