![\"England](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/02\/EnglandvsNZ_1770127305867_1770127315135.jpg\" "\\"England")
England vs New Zealand in the 2019 ODI World Cup final. (X Images)<\/p>\nTwo things were overdue in cricket: cleaning up grey areas that keep producing \u201cthat can\u2019t be right\u201d moments, and updating the Laws to match how modern cricket is actually played and officiated.<\/p>\n
England vs New Zealand in the 2019 ODI World Cup final. (X Images)<\/p>\n
The Marylebone Cricket Club (MCC) has now done that with a wide-ranging refresh of the Laws of Cricket \u2014 73 amendments, set to come into force from October. Here are the changes that will most visibly affect players, umpires and match situations.<\/p>\n
1) No more \u201cstumps saved you\u201d after a wicket in the last over (multi-day cricket)<\/p>\n
In multi-day cricket, if a wicket fell in the final over of the day, play could end immediately, leaving the remaining balls to be bowled the next morning. Under the updated Law, the over must be completed (conditions permitting), even if a wicket falls.<\/p>\n
What it changes: new batters won\u2019t get an automatic breather because the day ended. Those last few deliveries at stumps, often when bowlers are at their sharpest, stay live and meaningful.<\/p>\n
2) Wicketkeeper movement rule becomes practical<\/p>\n
Previously, the wicketkeeper had to be fully behind the stumps from the start of the bowler\u2019s run-up. That created needless technical debates in an era where every movement is replayed in HD.<\/p>\n
Now, the keeper needs to be fully behind the stumps by the time the ball is released.<\/p>\n
What it changes: fewer petty no-ball controversies for tiny \u201cearly\u201d movements that don\u2019t actually offer an advantage.<\/p>\n
3) Overthrow is defined more clearly<\/p>\n
Overthrows have produced some of cricket\u2019s messiest arguments \u2014 especially near boundaries. The MCC has tightened the language by defining an overthrow as a deliberate throw at the stumps to prevent runs or attempt a run-out.<\/p>\n
What it changes: not every wild deflection or accidental ricochet will be treated like a classic overthrow scenario. The intent and action now matter more, which should reduce the \u201ceverything is an overthrow\u201d confusion.<\/p>\n
4) Deliberate short runs: captain gets a new tactical weapon<\/p>\n
Deliberate short runs already attract a five-run penalty. The updated Law adds a sharp consequence: the fielding captain can choose which batter is on strike for the next ball.<\/p>\n
What it changes: if a set batter tries to game the system with a deliberate short run, the fielding side can respond by putting the weaker batter on strike immediately \u2014 turning punishment into strategy.<\/p>\n
5) \u201cBall is dead \/ settled\u201d gets a cleaner, broader definition<\/p>\n
Earlier, the ball was considered finally \u201csettled\u201d only when it was in the hands of the bowler or wicketkeeper. Now, the ball is treated as settled when it is in the hands of any fielder, or stationary on the ground.<\/p>\n
What it changes: fewer awkward moments where players sprint an extra run while everyone else believes the play is clearly over. It gives umpires a clearer anchor for when a delivery has effectively ended.<\/p>\n
6) Laminated bats are allowed in open-age cricket<\/p>\n
Laminated bats \u2014 made by bonding multiple pieces of wood \u2014 were previously restricted to junior cricket. The revised Laws permit laminated bats in open-age cricket too.<\/p>\n
What it changes: potentially more affordable bat options, especially in club and amateur cricket, without the MCC seeing a meaningful performance advantage in testing.<\/p>\n
7) Ball sizes are standardised for women\u2019s and junior cricket<\/p>\n
Women\u2019s and junior cricket have long dealt with inconsistent naming and tolerances around ball sizes. The updated Laws introduce clearer categories: Size 1, Size 2 and Size 3, with standardised margins for the smaller balls used outside men\u2019s cricket.<\/p>\n
What it changes: better consistency across competitions and fewer equipment grey zones.<\/p>\n
The big picture<\/p>\n
None of these tweaks are designed to reinvent cricket. They\u2019re designed to make outcomes feel fair, reduce avoidable confusion, and ensure the Laws match the sport\u2019s modern reality \u2014 where every frame is reviewed, every loophole is tested, and every ambiguity becomes a talking point.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Two things were overdue in cricket: cleaning up grey areas that keep producing \u201cthat can\u2019t be right\u201d moments,…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":406471,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[34],"tags":[1721,151445,151448,151444,151447,101,56,54,55,151446],"class_list":["post-406470","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-cricket","tag-cricket","tag-cricket-amendments","tag-laminated-bats","tag-laws-of-cricket","tag-overthrow-definition","tag-sports","tag-uk","tag-united-kingdom","tag-unitedkingdom","tag-wicketkeeper-rules"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/406470","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=406470"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/406470\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/406471"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=406470"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=406470"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=406470"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}