The ICC has made a key change to the two-ball rule in men’s One-Day Internationals. The world body approved this change to rebalance the contest between bat and ball. The move comes after a proposal by the ICC’s men’s cricket committee. The chief executive committee nodded to it, making it official. From 2nd of July, when the new conditions come into force for ODIs, two new balls will be in use from the start of the innings. But this will last only until the 34th over. After that, the fielding side must select one of these two balls and use it from both ends for the rest of the innings. The aim, according to the ICC, is to “readdress the balance” in the 50-over format. If the match is reduced to 25 overs or less from the outset, the fielding side will use just a single ball for the whole innings. The change signals a shift from the previous policy of using two balls all the way through. The move, the ICC said, should help bowlers find a bit more grip and movement in the latter phases of the match. Read also: MCC Bans Bunny Hop Boundary Catches in New Rule Update Concussion Substitute Rules Also Get Update The ICC has made tweaks to its concussion substitute policy alongside the two-ball change. From now on, teams must submit a list of potential concussion substitutes to the match referee before the match starts. The list should include one batter, one wicketkeeper, one spin bowler, one seam bowler, and an all-rounder. If a player is injured by a ball to the head and shows signs of a concussion, the match referee will approve a “like-for-like” replacement from this pool. This change came into view after the incident in January when India replaced batter Shivam Dube with all-rounder Harshit Rana against England. Rana finished with 3 wickets for 33 runs in that match. The approval raised questions about fairness. The naming policy aims to avoid such controversy in future. If the substitute himself gets concussed, the match referee has discretion to approve a replacement from outside the original pool. Additionally, the playing conditions have been amended to prohibit “bunny hopping”—the practice of jumping outside the boundary rope to complete a clean catch. The change aims to align with the MCC’s ruling against this tactic.