ICC gave great news to bowlers, changed a big rule, also made changes regarding concussion substitute

In order to create a balance between batsmen and bowlers in ODI cricket, the International Cricket Council (ICC) has made a big change in the rule of two balls. Along with it, the concussion substitute (player replaced for head injury) rule has also been introduced for all formats. These new rules come into force for Test matches from June 17, for ODIs from July 2, and for T20 international matches from July 10.

Till now, every innings in ODI matches used to start with two new balls from both ends. That is, new balls were used from both ends for the entire 50 overs of the innings. But according to the new rule, now both balls will be used only for 34 overs. After the 34th over, the bowling team will have to choose one of the two balls, which will then be used from both ends from the 35th to the 50th, i.e., the remaining 16 overs of the innings.

The ICC says that this change has been made to restore the balance between bat and ball, because bowlers get less swing and seam movement with new balls. If the match is reduced to 25 overs per innings or less even before the start of the first innings of the match, then in that case, the entire innings will be played with only one new ball.

All teams from this point forward will need to submit a list of five concussion substitute players to the referee at the beginning of a match, wherein the following five roles will be assigned. These are a wicketkeeper, a batsman, a fast bowler, a spinner, and an all-rounder. This was introduced following the controversy surrounding the first test against England in January 2025, when the Indian team named a concussion substitute, Harshit Rana, for Shivam Dubey.

Rana picked three wickets from the game, but his participation was questioned. If a nominated substitute player also gets hurt, an outside player can come on field according to the current tit for tat rule, although it is subject to decision by the referee of the match. These new rules are expected to make the game more transparent and balanced.