For the 2024 T20 World Cup, a knockout match will be considered a full 10 overs per side instead of the usual 5.
The ICC has announced that the stop clock, which has been trialled in international cricket since December last year, will become a permanent feature in men's ODIs and T20Is between Full Members from June 1.
The rule requires the fielding side to be ready to start an over within one minute of the end of the previous over. If the fielding team fails to comply, the umpires will issue two warnings. After the second warning, a five-run penalty will be imposed for each subsequent offence.
The ICC stated that the stop-clock trial results were presented to the Chief Executives' Committee (CEC), demonstrating that approximately 20 minutes per ODI match had been saved. The trial period did not result in any team exceeding the one-minute limit between overs three times in an innings, and therefore the five-run penalty has not been imposed for this offence.
In limited-overs cricket, three penalties can be imposed to police over-rates: the stop clock, a fielding penalty, and monetary fines.
The fielding penalty is triggered if the fielding side fails to begin the final over of the innings by the stipulated cut-off time, after accounting for delays. In this case, they will have to bring an extra fielder into the 30-yard circle for the remaining overs in the innings. For the duration of the penalty, only four fielders outside the circle are allowed instead of five. This rule was introduced in early 2022 and applies to both men's and women's limited-overs games.
The team will incur a monetary fine if they fail to meet the minimum required over rate. The fine will be 5% of the team's match fee for every over they fall short, after accounting for allowances for unavoidable delays. The captain will be fined double the amount of his team-mates, and the maximum fine is 50% of the match fee.
For knockout games in the 2024 T20 World Cup, a minimum of 10 overs will be required
The 2024 T20 World Cup in the USA and West Indies, scheduled for June, will include reserve days for the semi-finals and final to account for any delays or interruptions. Additionally, each knockout game must have a minimum of 10 overs per innings to be considered a completed game. The group stages will follow the standard T20 cricket norm of five overs per side to constitute a match.
The 2024 edition of the T20 World Cup will determine which teams qualify for the tournament in 2026
The 2026 Men's T20 World Cup will feature 20 teams, including 12 automatic qualifiers. These will include hosts India and Sri Lanka, as well as the teams that make the Super Eights at the 2024 T20 World Cup. The remaining two to four teams will be selected based on their rankings in the ICC's T20I rankings as of June 30, 2024. The final eight spots for the 2026 tournament will be determined through the usual regional qualifiers pathway.