ICC tightens time-wasting rules and allows pink balls in day Tests
Playing-condition changes effective from 1 October include escalating penalties for batters who are not ready, tighter specs for women's balls, and a trial letting sides agree to use a pink ball for an entire daytime Test to fight bad light. Sourav Ganguly said the aim is pace and integrity.
The International Cricket Council on Thursday announced a package of playing-condition changes across Tests, ODIs and T20Is, targeting slow play, clarifying fielding and overthrow rules, and opening a narrow door to pink balls in daytime Tests.
The changes apply to international series that start on or after 1 October 2026. Series already under way continue under the previous rules, The Hindu reported.
Penalties for batters who dawdle
If a batter is not ready to face within the prescribed time, the first offence draws a warning, the second a final warning, and the third — and each later offence — five penalty runs to the fielding side. Repeated breaches can also trigger the Code of Conduct. The Men's Cricket Committee chair, Sourav Ganguly, said the updates address balls, fielding clarity and the pace of the game while "maintaining its integrity and consistency".
Other all-format tweaks tighten the size and weight tolerance for women's cricket balls and refine language on overthrows, when a ball is "settled", and when a fielder has complete control.
Pink ball by agreement in day Tests
As a trial, pink balls may be used in daytime Tests if both sides agree before the match starts. Once agreed, the choice lasts the whole Test; teams cannot switch from red to pink after play begins. The aim is to reduce time lost to bad light without forcing a blanket change on boards that still prefer the red ball under the sun.
For Indian fans, the practical test will come in the next home and away series scheduled after the cut-off — including any day Tests where light has historically stolen overs. Broadcasters and stadium operators will also watch whether pink-ball day games change ticket demand compared with traditional red-ball fixtures.
Ganguly framed the package as keeping the laws aligned with a faster, broadcast-driven sport. Players' associations and coaches will now translate the warning ladder into dressing-room routines: fewer mid-pitch conferences, tighter glove changes, and a clearer sense that time-wasting can cost runs, not just goodwill.