The all-important ICC World Test Championship 2023 final will take place at the Oval, London between June 7-11. The last edition's runners-up India will be taking on Australia in this blockbuster match. Now ahead of that, International Cricket Council (ICC) has reportedly decided to take make a big change. According to a report from Cricbuzz, ICC is all set to abolish the well-debated 'soft signal' rule. The Sourav Ganguly-led cricket committee reportedly has already approved the changes.  James Anderson Picks Up Groin Strain Ahead of Ashes As Injury Woes for England Continue.

The report further suggests that the change is expected to come into force from WTC final match. Both India and Australia, the finalists of WTC, have been informed about this decision. Apart from the soft signal rule, ICC has also discussed about the usage of floodlights when natural light is not good enough to continue the game. Meanwhile, the one-off Test matches will be reportedly having a reserve day from now on so that we can have a result if there is any loss of play.

In the case of a very tight dismissal, the soft signal rule currently allows the on-field umpires to take a decision even if he is not sure about the event before referring it to the third umpire. The third umpire meanwhile can only change the decision if he has any conclusive evidence. In most of the cases, the third umpire had to go with the on-field umpire's decision because of a lack of conclusive evidence.

In the past, this soft signal rule has been often the centre of many debates as the on-field umpires had to take their decisions with their instincts rather than proper evidence. One such controversy took place during an Australia vs South Africa Test earlier this year regarding an overturned dismissal of Marnus Labuschagne.

Following this, Ben Stokes, the red-ball captain of the England cricket team said, "ICC should get rid of the soft signal and let the 3rd umpire who has all the technology make the decision when the on-field umpires send it upstairs, all the controversy is always around the soft signal given. This isn't a comment on the decision FYI (sic)." What Is Diamond Duck in Cricket? How Is It Different From Golden Duck? Know More About Unique Terminology Used for Batter Being Dismissed Without Scoring.

Even before Stokes' comments, BCCI secretary Jay Shah also raised the matter at an ICC forum in 2021. Shah is currently a part of the ICC Cricket Committee.

 

 

(The above story first appeared on LatestLY on May 15, 2023 01:53 PM IST. For more news and updates on politics, world, sports, entertainment and lifestyle, log on to our website latestly.com).