Bulls first to fall foul of new 'fake fielding' law

Queensland fielder Marnus Labuschagne has become the first to fall foul of the new regulations that penalise 'fake fielding' after an incident in the JLT One-Day Cup.

The incident occurred in the 27th over of the Cricket Australia XI's innings against Queensland at Allan Border Field in Brisbane, and cost the home team five penalty runs.

Labuschagne dived to field a ball to his right in the covers during the CA XI innings, and although he failed to stop the ball he leapt to his feet and shaped to throw.

That caused the CA XI batter Param Uppal to stutter and shape to scurry back to his crease, before the Western Australian realised the ball was on its way down to Matthew Renshaw at long-off and the single was completed safely.

Labuschagne raised his hand to indicate an apology, but the on-field umpires came together to confer before standing umpire Paul Wilson signalled to the scorers by repeatedly tapping his left shoulder with his right palm to indicate the penalty runs.

The rule against "intentionally deceiving or distracting a batsman" was only formally introduced on Thursday by the International Cricket Council's latest version of playing conditions.

However, the regulations the JLT One-Day Cup are played under were finalised some time ago with the latest amendments in mind, having been foreshadowed mid-year.

The updated playing conditions came in response to the Marylebone Cricket Club's updated Code of Laws, introduced earlier this year.

They govern things like a restrictions on bat thickness, the power for umpires to send violent players off the field and tweaks to the Decision Review System.

The regulations on distractions were seen as a minor amendment, but Labuschange's actions brought them to the fore as the first to be used by umpires. 

Below is an exhaustive list of all the changes announced by the ICC that came into effect yesterday:

- Thickness of bats to be restricted; edges now limited to 40mm and overall depth limited to 67mm

- Players can now be sent off by umpires for serious or violent misconduct

- Decision Review System changes: teams will no longer lose one of their allocated reviews when it is deemed to be 'Umpire's Call' though they will not receive top-up reviews after 80 overs, as was previously the case in Test cricket. The DRS may now also be used in T20 Internationals.

- Tethered bails (bails attached to string) may now be used in a bid to prevent injuries like the one sustained by former South Africa 'keeper Mark Boucher

- Players can now be caught, stumped or run-out after the ball strikes a helmet being worn by a fielder or a wicketkeeper

- 'Bouncing bat' run-outs to no longer be out, provided the batsman has "continued forward momentum through running or diving" when the wicket is put down.

- A no-ball will be called if a delivery bounces more than once (previously more than twice) before the popping crease. It's believed this delivery from Mason Crane, for example, would still be out under the new laws as it appears the ball took its second bounce between the popping crease and stumps 

- A batter can now be recalled by umpires – or an appeal withdrawn by fielders – before the ensuing ball is bowled, even if the dismissed batter has left the field of play

- Fielders intentionally deceiving or distracting a batsman (for example, mock fielding where a player pretends to throw or pick up a ball) can now be penalised

- Bowlers deemed to have deliberately bowled a front foot no-ball will be barred from bowling for the remainder of the innings

- A batter can no longer repeatedly take strike in the protected area of the pitch, just as a bowler can not repeatedly follow through into the protected area under the existing rules

- 'Handled the ball' is no longer a separate dismissal; it has been incorporated into the 'obstructing the field' law

- The number of named substitutes for international teams has been increased from four to six

- Breaks in play (ie lunch or tea interval) are to be taken if a wicket falls within three minutes of an interval (previously two minutes)

- In a rain-shortened match where an innings is reduced to 10 overs or less, a bowler's maximum quota of overs won't be reduced to less than two

- Airborne fielders making their first contact with the ball need to have taken off from within the boundary (this Law was changed in 2013 but had not been formally adopted into the ICC's playing conditions)

- Byes and leg byes off no-balls to now be scored separately. Previously byes or leg byes off no-balls were all recorded as no-balls