The stop clock rule, currently undergoing trial, is set to become a permanent feature in international cricket, with its implementation during the upcoming Twenty20 World Cup in June approved. Introduced by the International Cricket Council (ICC) on an experimental basis last December. This rule will now be incorporated into the standard playing conditions of the game.
According to the rule, the fielding team will have 60 seconds between overs, during which they must commence the next over before the countdown reaches zero. This 60-second countdown will occur between each over of a T20I or an ODI, with penalties for every breach.
The responsibility of enforcing this rule lies with the umpires, with the third umpire switching on the timer. The on-field umpires will issue two warnings to the fielding side before imposing a five-run penalty for a third offense or every subsequent violation. The decision to utilize the timer rests with the umpires, who also have the authority to decide whether delays are caused by batters, DRS calls, or any unforeseen circumstances.
The rule was approved at the ongoing series of meetings of the ICC in Dubai. “The results of the stop-clock trial were presented to the Chief Executives’ Committee (CEC), which demonstrated that around 20 minutes per ODI match had been saved in time,” an ICC said in a statement laying out the reasons for making the rule permanent. During the trial period, no team was found to have exceeded the one-minute limit between overs three times in an innings, and so the five-run penalty has not yet been imposed for this offence.
The monetary fine includes a 5% cut in the team’s match fee for every over they are short of the minimum required over rate, after the umpires have taken into account allowances for unavoidable delays. The fine for the captain is double that of his team-mates, and the fines are capped at 50% of the match fee.
