International Cricket Council (ICC) ICC has decided to do away with the controversial ‘soft signal’ rule given by on-field umpires. This rule was often criticized by experts as it caused confusion for the TV umpire when the decision went to the third umpire. The ‘soft signal’ was used to determine the validity of a catch taken a few inches above the ground. It has been done, because the correct estimation of such catch cannot be done with naked eyes. these changes world test championship done before the finals.
ICC made a big change
In such cases till now the on-field umpire used to signal ‘out’ or ‘not out’ on the basis of his estimation which is called ‘soft signal’. In most cases, it was difficult to estimate the correct catch from the TV footage and in such cases the third umpire gives his decision on the basis of ‘soft signal’. The ICC announced the change in playing conditions after the recommendations of the Men’s Cricket Committee and the Women’s Cricket Committee, headed by Sourav Ganguly, were approved.
Sir Ravindra Jadeja had to do this work expensively, ICC imposed heavy fine, will have to pay so much money
soft signal biggest change
The ICC said that the biggest change is to eliminate the ‘soft signal’. Now on-field umpires will not need to give ‘soft signals’ when the decision is sent to the TV umpire. The on-field umpires will consult with the TV umpire before making any decisions. Former Indian captain Ganguly said that in the last two years there has been a discussion about ‘soft signal’ in the meetings of the Cricket Committee.
mandatory to wear helmet
Ganguly said that the committee had a long discussion and came to the conclusion that the ‘soft signal’ is unnecessary and at times creates confusion as the catch may not be predicted correctly in the replay. The second big announcement is to make it mandatory to wear helmets in risky situations. When the batsman is facing fast bowlers, when the wicket-keeper is standing near the stumps and when the fielder is standing close to the batsman, wearing a helmet is mandatory in these situations.
New rules will apply in Test Championship final
Apart from this, minor changes have also been made in the rule of free hit. Now if the ball hits the stumps on a free hit and the batsman scores a run on it, then it will be added to the score. This means that the batsman can score runs despite being bowled on the free hit. All these rules will be applicable from June 1, 2023, from the only Test match to be held at Lord’s between England and Ireland. The final of the World Test Championship between India and Australia, starting on June 7, will be played under the new rules.
