The International Cricket Council (ICC) has introduced new rules for the upcoming 13th edition of the World Cup, which begins today at Narendra Modi Stadium in Ahmedabad, India. The first match of the tournament was played between defending champions England and 2019 World Cup runners-up New Zealand.
Taking into account the results of the 2019 World Cup held in England, the ICC has made some changes to the rules this time. After the 2019 World Cup final, a new debate emerged regarding ICC rules. Despite the Super Over in the final match between New Zealand and England, the host team was declared the winner due to hitting more boundaries.
Now, ICC has announced the end of the controversial boundary count rule, bringing relief to cricket enthusiasts. Under the new rule, the Super Overs will continue until a clear result is achieved. ICC has introduced this new rule for the 2023 World Cup, keeping an eye on India's boundaries.
According to this new rule, no stadium's boundary can be less than 70 meters for World Cup matches. ICC has also made a significant change in the umpiring aspect for the 2023 World Cup. ICC has abolished the soft signal rule, where the on-field umpire had to make an initial decision before consulting the third umpire.
Previously, if the third umpire couldn't provide conclusive evidence to overturn the decision, the on-field umpire's decision stood. However, now, the final decision on contentious wickets will rest with the third umpire based on the replay.