Pink-ball change mid-Test & in-match crackdown on illegal action on agenda list for ICC meeting

Restructuring of the World Test Championship (WTC) won’t be the only Test-related discussion at the upcoming International Cricket Council (ICC) meeting on the sidelines of the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2026 final in Ahmedabad on May 30 and 31.

Pink ball switch mid-Test match?

At the ICC Chief Executives Committee (CEC) meeting that was held virtually on May 21, Roger Twose’s working group has proposed the idea of switching from a red ball to a pink ball during a Test match. Sourav Ganguly, the head of the ICC Cricket Committee, and Mohsin Naqvi, the chairman of the Pakistan Cricket Board and the Asian Cricket Council, were both in attendance.

According to Cricbuzz, the proposed idea will only come into play if there are weather interruptions and the game were to continue under lights. Both teams must agree before the ball change is permitted by the umpires. Similar to the Decision Review System (DRS) in the past, mutual consent from both teams must be obtained before the start of the series.

HawkEye for illegal action crackdown

It seems Usman Tariq’s unique but legal action has spurred an ‘illegal’ action debate. The working group has proposed granting HawkEye data access to on-field umpires to call bowlers out for illegal action during matches. It’s unclear how the process will recover and whether the third umpire will inform the on-field umpires that a certain bowler is straightening their bowling arm by more than 15 degrees during their delivery stride.

Image Credit: AP Photo/K.M. Chaudary via Alamy

Cricket

11 mins

Cricket Canada suffers huge blow as ICC freezes funds for six months

Time reduction & drinks break rule change

The ICC plans to reduce the mid-innings break by 5 minutes, from 20 to 15, in T20Is. “There shall be a 20-minute interval between innings, taken from the call of Time before the interval until the call of Play on resumption after the interval,” the existing playing conditions state.

In ODI cricket, head coaches will be allowed to enter the field during drinks breaks, two per innings. In T20I cricket, coaches are already allowed to consult with the players on the field. At present, only substitute players are permitted to enter the field of play. It’s unclear whether the coaches will need to wear the team jersey or not. “Any player taking drinks onto the field shall be dressed in proper cricket attire,” the rule in the playing conditions states.

The post Pink-ball change mid-Test & in-match crackdown on illegal action on agenda list for ICC meeting appeared first on Inside Sport India.