The ICC is set to trial introducing run penalties for slow over rates in international white-ball cricket from the end of this year, in order to try and combat ever lengthening limited overs matches.

In a meeting of the ICC Board today (November 21), the Chief Executive Committee endorsed a plan to introduce a stop clock on a trial basis in men’s ODI and T20I cricket from December 2023 to April 2024. The clock will be used to regulate the amount of time taken between overs. If the bowling team is not ready to bowl the next over within 60 seconds of the previous over being completed, a five-run penalty will be imposed the third time it happens in an innings.

The current penalty in the ICC Code of Conduct for slow over-rates are a percentage fine of a player’s match-fee. The latest recorded incident of a penalty being enforced for slow over-rates in international white ball cricket was against Rovman Powell after a T20I between the West Indies and India in August 2023.

However, over-rate penalties have been a key talking-point in Test cricket over the last few months. In June, the match-fee fines for teams who bowled their overs too slowly was reduced to five per cent per over short of the target, capped at 50 per cent of the whole match fee. In addition over-rate penalties will not be applied if a team is bowled out inside 80 overs instead of the earlier point of 60 overs. Team also lose World Test Championship points for slow over rates in Test matches, with England being docked 19 points from the drawn Ashes series.

In the same board meeting, the ICC also clarified it’s position over Sri Lanka’s position following their recent suspension for breaching its obligations as a member. Sri Lanka will continue to be allowed to play bilateral international cricket and compete in ICC events. However, the men’s U19 World Cup which was scheduled to be held in Sri Lanka early next year has been moved to South Africa.

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