The level of athleticism in cricket has surely improved and seems to be at par with the fitness of players. Players can be seen flying on the boundary to pull off some spectacular catches and stun the audience. Indian Premier League (IPL) has witnessed ‘n’ number of such catches. However, with the new International Cricket Council (ICC) rule, we might not see catches like that on the boundary as they will be deemed illegal in IPL 2018.
ICC’s new rule has been in effect since last year. Here’s how it goes –
All airborne fielders making their first contact with the ball will need to have taken off from within the boundary, otherwise a boundary is scored. A boundary will be scored if a fielder in contact with the ball makes contact with any object grounded beyond the boundary, including another fielder.
For example, let’s take a look at former Australian cricketer David Hussey’s catch. Here, he can be seen making contact with the ball inside the boundary and then threw it in the air. But the ball had crossed the aerial boundary before Hussey took action, which is not a legal catch anymore. The fielder has to be inside the boundary when the catch is taken for the final time.
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Also, the ball cannot cross the boundary even in the air which makes catching tough for the boundary fielders. However, there is a lot of confusion over the ‘balls has to be inside the boundary and in the air’ part as sometimes players get rid of the ball which really falls very close to the boundary.
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We supposedly might see a fewer number of spectacular catches because of the new rule.
