Pink and red ball in the same Test match? ICC mulls rule changes across formats

The oldest and the longest form of cricket could witness a major change as the International Cricket Council (ICC) is set to discuss the possibility of using different coloured balls in the same format, according to a report by Cricbuzz.

The broader changes that will apply to limited overs and multi-day formats, could come into effect soon, if approved by the governing body at the ICC Board meeting in Ahmedabad on May 30.

The most significant point of discussion is a change from red ball to pink ball during a conventional Test match. According to the report, if the amendment is approved, the teams will be permitted to use the pink ball if both sides agree and in the event of weather interruptions and continue under lights.

Among the other proposed changes is allowing the head coach to enter the field during the drinks break. This change is aimed at ODI cricket where only substitute fielders are allowed to enter the field of play with messages. In the 50-over format, two drinks breaks per innings are permitted, each scheduled about 70 minutes apart. The head coach is already permitted to enter the field of play in T20Is.

Further, the ICC is planning to reduce the innings break in a T20I to 15 minutes from the current 20 minutes.

The existing playing condition states: "There shall be a 20-minute interval between innings, taken from the call of Time before the interval until the call of Play on resumption after the interval."

In a bid to curb illegal action, on-field umpires could get access to the HawkEye data to check bowlers for chucking. It is not clear on how the process and implementation will work.

These proposed changes were contemplated upon during the ICC Chief Executives Committee (CEC) meeting held virtually on Thursday, with Sourav Ganguly, the head of the ICC Cricket Committee, among the participants.

If approved for implementation, the changes will be applicable for all international matches from October 1.