ICC New Rules Over Rate: What is the new Over Rate rule for ODI cricket?

Over Rate: The International Cricket Council will now be imposing penalties for slow over rates in ODIs as well.

The culmination of the inaugural ICC Men’s Cricket World Cup Super League will result in some changes in rules and regulations in the ODI format.

Considering how limited-overs cricket matches often drag past the stipulated time period to adversely affect the intensity of even the most fiercest of contests, International Cricket Council has come up with an in-match penalty-related solution.

Suggested by ICC men’s cricket committee led by BCCI (Board of Control for Cricket in India) President Sourav Ganguly and approved by ICC’s chief executives’ committee, there are five more rule changes in addition to the over rate rule.

What is the new Over Rate rule for ODI cricket?

A new over rate rule in ODIs has been brought into play months after the same was proposed for T20Is. It was at the beginning of this year that ICC had decided to penalize fielding teams if they fail to complete their quota of bowling 20 overs inside a given time period.

The same will be applicable in ODIs once the ongoing ODI Super League finishes in the first half of 2023. According to the new rule, bowling teams will have to field with an additional fielder inside the 30-yard circle if they don’t complete their quota of bowling 50 overs in a specified time period.

Death overs in an ODI match are part of the third powerplay which requires teams to field a minimum of four fielders inside the circle. A penalized team needing to bring another fielder inside the circle would hand a massive advantage to the batters as they will be aided in finding boundaries in the presence of only five fielders inside the circle (and only four outside).

Readers must note that the same rule had been implemented during the recently concluded Asia Cup in the UAE. A T20I tournament, it had witnessed teams being penalized for slow over rate.

About the author

Dixit Bhargav

Born and brought up in Pathankot, Dixit Bhargav is an engineering and sports management graduate who works as a Cricket Editor at The SportsRush. Having written more than 10,000 articles across more than five years at TSR, his first cricketing memory dates back to 2002 when former India captain Sourav Ganguly had waved his jersey at the historic Lord’s balcony. What followed for an 8-year-old was an instant adulation for both Ganguly and the sport. The optimist in him is waiting for the day when Punjab Kings will win their maiden Indian Premier League title. When not watching cricket, he is mostly found in a cinema hall watching a Punjabi movie.

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