New Delhi: Marylebone Cricket Club (MCC) has announced some sweeping changes in the latest edition of the Laws of Cricket, which will come into effect from October 26, 2026. Among the 73 changes in laws of cricket will be the inclusion of mandatory completion of the final over in case of fall of a wicket in multi-day matches, removal of ‘Bunny hop catch’ and permission to use three-wood laminated bats, which were previously deemed illegal.

MCC announced the new amendments on Tuesday, which are the first since 2022. The new laws have been drafted in alignment with the modern game and as inclusively as possible.

Mandatory to complete over in multi-format games if a wicket falls in last over

MCC, on its website, said that the final over in a multi-day match will have to be completed if a wicket has fallen. As per current laws, umpires call off the play after the wicket falls, but MCC believes that non-completion of the overs takes the “drama out of the game”.

“It was felt unfair that, if a fielding side takes a wicket in the final over of the day, the batting side does not have to send out a new batter,” MCC said.

“This doesn’t save time (which is the case at lunch and tea) as the remaining balls need to be made up the next day, and it takes the drama out of the game, while letting the incoming batter off the hook – at a time when the conditions are often more favourable to bowling.”

“The new change means that the final over of the day will be bowled fully, even if a wicket falls during it (assuming conditions remain fit),” it added.

The MCC has categorised uniform-sized cricket balls for women’s and junior cricket after taking inputs from current and former women’s players at its World Cricket Connects.

The MCC worked with manufacturers to set new limits and names for balls in junior and women’s cricket. Earlier, the permitted size and weight tolerances for both categories were far wider than those for men’s cricket, and the manufacturers used to produce a single ball for both categories, which created an overlap.

“The balls are now Size 1, Size 2 and Size 3, and while Size 1 (traditionally the men’s ball) has not changed, the margins are now uniform, making for three distinct categories of balls,” the MCC said.

Illegal bats legalised in “open age cricket”

The MCC legalised the use of previously illegal laminated bats for “open age cricket rather than just junior cricket” amid the rising costs of bats around the world, especially English willow. The use of Laminated bats, also known as Type D bats, was only permitted in junior cricket. Unlike type A, B and C bats, which are ⁠made from one piece of high-grade willow, the laminated bats are made from three pieces of wood, meaning ⁠less A-grade willow is required, resulting in lower costs.

“MCC has spent considerable time testing these bats, and it is not felt that laminated bats will give a significant performance advantage. However, it is expected that, at the top level of the game, bats will remain a single piece of willow,” the MCC said.

Meanwhile, the wicket-keepers will no longer be penalised for having their gloves in front of the stumps during the run-up of the bowler.

MCC explained the reason behind the change: “Wicket-keepers cannot come in front of the stumps to collect the ball until it has passed the striker’s wicket or made contact with their bat or person – that remains the case,” MCC said.

“But in a DRS age, umpires were noticing that some keepers move level with, or in front of, the stumps while the bowler is running up – technically a No-ball, but not something that would give them any advantage.”

“The Law has now changed so that it is only after the ball is released that the wicket-keeper must be wholly behind the stumps. This brings the wording in line with a fielder’s position,” it added.

No more ‘bunny hop catch’

Explaining the logic behind removing ‘bunny hop catch’, the MCC said fielders going outside the boundary can only touch the ball once while airborne and must touch the ground within the boundary for the rest of the duration of that delivery.

In case the fielder parries the ball from outside the boundary to his teammate who is inside it, and remains outside, then it will be counted as a boundary.

(With PTI Inputs)