The International Cricket Council (ICC) on May 28 announced the provision of a joint winner in case of the World Test Championship resulting in a tie or a draw. The cricket governing body also declared June 23 as a reserve day if the possible five days of play (six hours each day) is not achieved in the scheduled time due to weather conditions.
India and New Zealand will be fighting it out in the inaugural WTC Final to be hosted at the Rose Bowl in Southampton from June 18 to 22.
The council also confirmed that the decision on the requirement of reserve day would rest with the match referee. “In the event of time being lost during the match, the ICC Match Referee will regularly update the teams and media about the way in which the Reserve Day may be used,” the media release by ICC read. “The final decision on whether the Reserve Day needs to be used will be announced at the scheduled start of the last hour on the fifth day,” it added.
Other prominent playing conditions include the following:
Short Runs – The Third Umpire will automatically review any call of a ‘short run’ by the On-field Umpire and communicate the decision to the On-field Umpire prior to the next ball being bowled.
Player Reviews – The fielding captain or the dismissed batsman may confirm with the Umpire whether a genuine attempt has been made to play the ball prior to deciding whether to initiate a player review for LBW.
DRS Reviews – For LBW reviews, the height margin of the Wicket Zone has been lifted to the top of the stumps to ensure the same Umpire’s Call margin around the stumps for both height and width.