The Marylebone Cricket Membership (MCC), in collaboration with the International Cricket Council (ICC), has introduced a landmark change to cricket’s legal guidelines, focusing on the controversial “bunny-hop” boundary catch. This new rule, which is able to take impact in ICC enjoying circumstances from June 17, 2025, and be formally written into the MCC’s Legal guidelines in October 2026, goals to make clear what constitutes a good catch close to the boundary and handle considerations in regards to the spirit and equity of current spectacular, however contentious, fielding efforts.
MCC makes the catch unlawful with a serious modification
The “bunny-hop” catch—immortalized by Michael Neser within the Massive Bash League 2023 and others—has been a supply of each awe and debate. In these cases, fielders would leap to intercept a ball close to the boundary, toss it within the air whereas airborne outdoors the ropes, land outdoors, after which leap once more to push the ball again in or full the catch, typically with a number of airborne touches. Although authorized below the previous regulation, these catches left many followers and gamers questioning their equity, as fielders might manipulate the legal guidelines to keep away from conceding sixes in ways in which appeared to defy the spirit of the sport.
Below the brand new rule, such multi-touch, airborne manoeuvres from outdoors the boundary will likely be deemed unlawful. Now, if a fielder jumps from outdoors the boundary and touches the ball, they need to land totally throughout the area of play for the catch to rely. If the fielder lands outdoors after touching the ball, or makes any subsequent contact with the bottom outdoors the ropes throughout that supply, a boundary will likely be awarded. The MCC’s be aware to member boards defined that this transformation was vital as a result of the earlier regulation led to “some unusual-looking catches that, to the vast majority of the cricketing public, really feel unfair”. The brand new modification will come into impact on June 17.
Outrageous catch from Michael Neser 😱
Enable Glenn Maxwell to elucidate why it is a legit catch #BBL12 pic.twitter.com/7YORTIUFat
— 7Cricket (@7Cricket) January 1, 2023
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What’s nonetheless allowed? The artwork of the spectacular saves
Importantly, not all acrobatic boundary catches are banned. The brand new regulation nonetheless permits fielders to push the ball up from contained in the boundary, step out attributable to momentum, after which dive or leap again in to finish the catch—supplied their first contact with the ball was made whereas grounded inside the sector of play. This distinction preserves the joy of athletic fielding whereas drawing a transparent line towards the “bunny-hop” approach that relied on repeated airborne touches from past the boundary.
The regulation’s exact wording now states {that a} fielder who’s airborne and makes contact with the ball after leaping from outdoors the boundary should then land and stay inside the sector of play till the ball turns into useless. Any subsequent contact with the bottom outdoors the boundary throughout that supply—whether or not or not the fielder is involved with the ball—leads to a boundary, not a wicket.
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