Cricket's New Rulebook: Matches Aren't Over, Tempers Are - MCC's New Laws Explained
Cricket has always been a game where the best moments sit uncomfortably close to the worst ones. One swing of the bat can make you immortal. One extra swing — of the wrong kind — can now cost you the match.
In its latest update to the Laws of Cricket, the Marylebone Cricket Club has quietly reminded everyone that the game does not end when you think it does. It ends when the umpires leave the field. And until then, you are still very much on the clock. A cracking change comes in Law 41.17.2, dealing with penalty runs. The MCC has tweaked the wording to clarify that offences committed after a result has technically been achieved - but before the umpires walk off - can still be punished.
To drive the point home, the MCC offered an example that sounds less like legal drafting and more like a pub story gone wrong. If a batter celebrates the winning hit from the final ball by punching the bowler in the face, penalty runs can be awarded - enough to overturn the result and hand victory to the other side.
It doesn't stop there. If those penalty runs undo the result, play must continue, if possible. Which means a match can now be won, lost, reversed and resumed because someone forgot self-control. If there are multiple offences, umpires will award penalty runs in the order the actions occurred.
The MCC has also closed another loophole with a firm line on illegal equipment. If umpires spot it, they must prevent its further use where possible and report it in all circumstances. No more quietly swapping back to a questionable bat once attention drifts.
Then comes a change that will be felt most sharply in Test cricket - particularly by batters eyeing the pavilion clock with hope. From October 1, 2026, a wicket falling in the final over of the day will no longer bring play to an immediate close. As per the revised Law 12.5.2, the over must be completed, regardless of dismissals.
For bowlers, it's a gift. For new batters, it's a nightmare. No overnight protection, no gentle reset in the morning. The end-of-day escape hatch has been firmly shut.
All of this forms part of a wider overhaul - 73 changes in total - announced by the MCC, the custodian of cricket's laws since 1787. Laminated bats have been legalised in open-age cricket to help curb rising costs. Ball regulations have been refined following consultations led by current and former women's cricketers. And all gendered language has been removed from the Laws, bringing the rulebook into the present, even if the on-field debates remain timeless.
Cricket still remains cricket. MCC wishes to remind players that you can still win a match with one shot. Just make sure you don't throw another one after it.