No more ‘soft signals’ in Cricket
ICC
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ICC have announced a major change to the Playing Conditions, among other tweaks, effective June 1, 2023.
ICC announced changes to the Playing Conditions after the Chief Executives’ Committee approved of the recommendations from the Men’s Cricket Committee led by Sourav Ganguly and the Women's Cricket Committee.
The major change involved the soft signal being scrapped, with umpires no longer required to give a soft signal when referring decisions to the TV umpire.
"The on-field umpires will consult with the TV umpire before any decisions are taken," the ICC confirmed.
“Soft signals have been discussed at previous cricket committee meetings over the last couple of years," Ganguly said.
"The committee deliberated this at length and concluded that soft signals were unnecessary and at times confusing since referrals of catches may seem inconclusive in replays."
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 batters can now be bowled off a Free Hit and attempt a run for the same.
The changes will come into effect on 1 June 2023 with the Lord’s Test between England and Ireland, a four-day one-off Test match.
The following World Test Championship final between India and Australia, starting June 7, will also follow these new Playing Conditions.
