ICC introduces stop clock in new WTC cycle
Dubai, Jun 26 (PTI): The ICC has introduced stop clock in Test cricket to deal with slow over rates while allowing fielding teams to decide which batter should be on strike in case of a ‘deliberate’ short-run as part of the playing conditions for 2025-27 World Test Championship cycle.
The new rules have been implemented from the 2025-2027 World Test Championship which got underway with the first of the two Tests between Sri Lanka and Bangladesh in Galle.
According to the ICC Test Match Playing Conditions on the governing body’s website, the use of the stop clock — like in limited-overs cricket — has been implemented to eradicate the issue of slow over-rate.
"The fielding side shall be ready to start each over within 60 seconds of the previous over being completed. An electronic clock will be displayed at the ground that counts up seconds from zero to 60,” the ICC said.
The fielding side will thus be given two warnings and in case of a third infraction, the batting side will be awarded with five penalty runs.
These warnings will be reset to zero after the completion of 80 overs, the ICC said.
Meanwhile, ESPNcricinfo reported that the ICC no longer mandates the umpires to change the ball once they discover saliva on it. The ban on the use of saliva remains in force.
The website said fielding teams may deliberately apply saliva on the ball to force a ball-change but the current document available on playing conditions for men’s Test cricket does not mention any such change.
The ICC also said in case there are instances of referrals being made by both player and the on-field umpire, the process will be carried out in a chronological order, effectively as per the order of their occurrence.
The ICC instructed that in case of a second review of a decision adjudged ‘out’ by an on-field umpire, the default decision for the subsequent mode of dismissal will remain ‘out’.
For example, if a batter challenges an on-field call for caught-behind and is adjudged not out with the replays showing the ball hit the pads, the TV umpire would subsequently turn to see if the batter was out leg-before.
In such a scenario, the default decision for this mode of dismissal will be ‘out’ and if the ball-tracking shows ‘umpire’s call’, the batter will be given ‘out’.
In case of a “deliberate short run”, the ICC explained, “A deliberate short run is an attempt for batters to appear to run more than one run, while at least one batter deliberately does not make good their ground at one end.”
“Batters may choose to abort a run, provided the umpire believes that there was no intention by the batter concerned to deceive the umpires or to score the run in which they didn’t make their ground.”
In such scenarios, the umpire at the bowler’s end will disallow all runs to the batting side, return any not out batter to his original end, signal a no-ball or a wide-ball if applicable, make a short-run signal to the scorers, award five penalty runs to the fielding side and “request their captain to identify which of the two batters will be on strike for the next delivery”.
The ICC said the TV umpire will now review the fairness of a catch taken off a no-ball. In case if a fair catch, the batting side will get an extra run for the no-ball and in case the catch is not cleanly taken, the batting side would get the runs the batters would have taken.
In previous edition of the playing conditions, the TV umpire was not needed to look into the fairness of a catch off a no ball.
Let the Truth be known. If you read VB and like VB, please be a VB Supporter and Help us deliver the Truth to one and all.
Centre spent Rs 76.13 lakh on print media ads for RSS centenary, reveals RTI
New Delhi: The Union Ministry of Culture allegedly spent Rs 76.13 lakh on print advertisements marking the 100-year celebrations of the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS), according to a Right to Information (RTI) reply.
The information was sought by RTI activist Ajay Basudev Bose, who filed an application seeking details on expenditure incurred by the ministry for advertisements commemorating the RSS centenary.
Bose shared a picture of the reply from the ministry on his official ‘X’ handle.
“It is informed that an amount of Rs 76,13,129 has been spent on advertisement given in various print media by the Ministry of Culture on the occasion of the completion of 100 years of RSS,” the government’s reply stated.
RTI reply shows Min of Culture Govt of India spent a Whopping Rs 76L,13K,129 on Advertisement in Print Media on occasion of 100 yrs of #RSS
— AJAY Basudev Bose (@AjayBos93388306) April 16, 2026
When Everyone knows RSS is Not Registered & Does not Pay any Tax is it justified to spend Tax Payers Money on such Private event??@RSSorg… pic.twitter.com/dW4IUtdNCg
Bose questioned the expenditure in the post X, “when Everyone knows RSS is Not Registered & Does not Pay any Tax is it justified to spend Tax Payers Money on such Private event??”
Reacting to the development, Karnataka’s IT-BT and Panchayat Raj Minister Priyank Kharge also criticised the spending.
In a post on X, he asked why public money was being used for what he described as a “private ideological project.”
"Modi Sarkar spent Rs 76,13,129 of public money on newspaper advertisements to celebrate 100 years of the RSS. Why is Government spending taxpayers money on an unregistered, non-tax-paying organisation to celebrate their centenary?," he added.
Why is public money being used to serve a private ideological project?
— Priyank Kharge / ಪ್ರಿಯಾಂಕ್ ಖರ್ಗೆ (@PriyankKharge) April 16, 2026
Modi Sarkar spent ₹76,13,129 of public money on newspaper advertisements to celebrate 100 years of the RSS.
Why is Government spending taxpayers money on an unregistered, non-tax-paying organisation to… pic.twitter.com/EoZ6Pim3IM
According to reports, the RSS describes itself as a volunteer-based organisation and has stated that it functions as a body of individuals rather than a registered entity.
Founded by Keshav Baliram Hedgewar in 1925, the organisation is marking its centenary year beginning from Vijaydashami in 2025, with the milestone observed on October 2.
