ICC makes fresh changes to playing conditions

On-field umpires will now consult with the TV umpire before making any decision as the International Cricket Council (ICC) has scrapped the soft signal rule. 

In the revised playing conditions, the soft signal rule has been scrapped from the playing conditions after the approval of the Chief Executives' committee. 

"The on-field umpires will consult with the TV umpire before any decisions are taken," the ICC confirmed.

The men’s cricket committee led by Sourav Ganguly and the women's cricket committee suggested changes to the playing conditions.

Moreover, helmets have now become mandatory for high-risk positions such as when batters are facing fast bowlers, when wicketkeepers are standing up to the stumps, and when fielders are close to the batter in front of the wicket.

"We also discussed player safety, which is very important for us," said Ganguly in a statement released by the ICC. "The committee decided that it was best to make the use of helmets mandatory in certain positions to ensure the safety of players," he added.

"There was also a minor addition to the 'Free Hit' rule with any runs scored off a Free Hit when the ball hits the stumps counted as runs scored from now. This would mean that if a batter is bowled off a Free Hit and runs are scored off it, they would be attributed to the batter," the ICC announced.

All the changes will be effective from June 1, 2023. The changes will be practised for the first time in a one-off four-day Test match between England and Ireland.