The ICC has confirmed that the stop clock will become a regular fixture in white-ball games from June 2024 to reduce the time between overs and also announced the Playing Conditions for the 2024 Men’s T20 World Cup.

What is the stop clock rule?

The ICC began trialling the stop clock in white-ball international games in December 2023. It is used to regulate the amount of time taken by the bowling team between overs to 60 seconds. If the team took more than 60 seconds between the completion of the previous over and the start of the next, a five-run penalty would be imposed after two warnings. The trial period ran until April 2024.

The ICC has now confirmed they will keep using the stop clock rule after the trial period ends, making it a permanent fixture in all white-ball international games, starting with the T20 World Cup later this year.

According to the Chief Executives’ Committee (CEC), approximately 20 minutes per ODI match had been saved with the introduction of the stopwatch.

The TV umpire is in charge of starting the stop clock after every over, with the countdown being displayed on the big screen as well. The bowling team will get two warnings if they overshoot the stop clock, following which they will get a five-run penalty for every lapse.

There are a few exceptions to the rule as well, which can be found here.

What are the Playing Conditions of the 2024 Men’s T20 World Cup?

The ICC has confirmed three reserve days in the upcoming tournament. Each semi-final will have a reserve day as will the final.

Further, a minimum of 10 overs will have to be bowled in the second innings to constitute a match in a knockout. This is different from the Playing Conditions of league games, where a minimum of five overs in the second innings will be enough to constitute a game.

What is the qualification procedure for the 2026 T20 World Cup?

The 2026 Men’s T20 World Cup will be held in India and Sri Lanka. A total of 20 sides will take part (the same as the 2024 edition), of which 12 will qualify automatically. The top eight sides in the 2024 T20 World Cup will join India and Sri Lanka as automatic qualifiers, while the remaining spots will be taken by the next best-ranked teams in the ICC Men’s Team’s rankings as of June 30, 2024.

The last eight spots will be filled through Regional Qualifiers.

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