ICC Cricket Committee tweaks the Powerplay rule

Teams will be allowed an additional fielder outside the 30-yard circle during the second or third Powerplay, the International Cricket Council's Cricket Committee has recommended after their two-day meeting in Dubai.

The committee, chaired by former Indian captain Sunil Gavaskar, came up with a number of recommendations on issues related to ODI regulations, ball tampering, glue on pitches, volume of cricket, international umpiring and the role of the television umpire.

While they felt that the use of Powerplays should continue they resolved that an additional fielder (making three in total instead of the current limit of two) should be allowed outside the outer ring during either of the last two Powerplays. Also it was decided to try out the idea of the captain of the batting side being able to choose when to take one of the Powerplays. It is set to be trialled in Australia; any other member country wanting try out the new rule was also permitted to do so.

The committee came up with a number of recommendations with relation to ball tampering and stated that the following actions shall not be permitted: deliberately throwing the ball into the ground for purposes of roughing it up, applying any artificial substance to the ball and applying any non-artificial substance for any purpose other than to polish the ball, lifting or otherwise interfering with any of the seams of the ball, and scratching the surface of the ball with finger or thumb nails or any implement.

The use of adhesives in the preparation of pitches for international matches should be discontinued, the committee ruled. Polyvinyl Acetate adhesives had been used during last year's Champions Trophy in India for the purpose of holding the pitches together.