In a first, stop clock to be trialled in international cricket to speed up play

Bowl your overs in time. And since paying fines doesn't pinch your pocket as much, a few more in-match penalties have now been put in place. That's the long and short of what was decided at the ICC chief executives meeting and okayed by the board on Tuesday in Ahmedabad.

- Rasesh Mandani

Cricket's efforts to hasten play and ensure the paying spectators as well as the viewers' time is respected have been continuous but painstakingly slow. Now, the endeavour seems to be picking up speed. In its latest missive to speed up, it was decided that a stop clock will be in place on a trial basis in men's ODI and T201 cricket from December 2023 to April 2024 to regulate the 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 5-run penalty will be imposed the third time it happens in an innings," an ICC media release said.