Say Goodbye To Spectacular Boundary Catches As ICC Adopts New Rules

In a landmark move, the ICC is set to adopt new playing conditions for boundary catches from later this month. The "bunny hop" catch, made famous recently by Michael Neser in the Big Bash League (BBL) 2023, where he touched the ball outside the boundary twice before taking the catch.

Speaking of the concerned catch, Neser made the first contact at the boundary ropes within the field of play, but then the next two touches were beyond the boundary ropes before he popped the ball back in to complete the catch. 

While that was deemed a legal catch, that will no longer be considered a legal catch from here onwards.

According to the new rules, a player can make contact with the ball outside the boundary ropes just once. If he does so on more than one occasion, it will not be deemed as a clean catch and will result in a boundary. 

Matt Renshaw, too, had pulled off a similar catch years ago in the BBL. He lofted the ball at the boundary, lost balance and stepped outside the ropes. However, he was airborne when he tapped the ball inside the field of play, and his teammate Tom Banton took what could be termed as a relay catch.

This catch, too, would not stand. According to the new law, if such catches are to be considered out, then the player who tapped the ball from outside the ropes must be inside the boundary when the catch is completed.

The MCC feels that such laws would align with the public perception of fairness, while it also acknowledges the athleticism and presence of mind while fielding.

The ICC will adopt the new rules from the next World Test Championship (WTC) cycle, starting with the Test series between Sri Lanka and Bangladesh from June 17 onwards. The MCC will, however, incorporate this rule change in their laws in October 2026, during the next round of global law revisions.