Marylebone Cricket Club Head of Cricket Fraser Stewart said on Wednesday that maintaining a balance between bat and ball remains crucial to cricket. The latest Laws of Cricket, effective October 1, include 73 changes. Stewart noted, "The fielding side have taken a wicket, they will be rewarded with having a new batter."
Maintaining a balance between bat and ball remains crucial to cricket, Marylebone Cricket Club (MCC) Head of Cricket Fraser Stewart said on Wednesday, pointing to changes in the latest edition of the Laws of Cricket that are aimed at giving the fielding side greater reward.
Speaking at the Laws of Cricket 2026 Umpire's Workshop organised by the Delhi and District Cricket Association (DDCA), Stewart said MCC continues to monitor the balance of the game as batting has become increasingly dominant.
"Absolutely, the balance of the game is crucial to cricket and in 2017 we reduced the sizes of bats to try to limit the power of the bat, the dominance of the bat over ball," Stewart was quoted as saying by news agency PTI.
"That's helped to have an effect but we still see balls flying a long way. We can't stop batters getting stronger, working out in the gym and they're playing a very different brand of attacking cricket than perhaps was the day years ago," he added.
The latest edition of the Laws of Cricket, which comes into effect on October 1, contains 73 changes. One of the key amendments in multi-day cricket will see the incoming batter take the crease even if a wicket falls during the final over of the day's play.
Under the new law, the new batter will have to face the remaining deliveries of the over instead of play ending immediately after the dismissal. Stewart said the change would give the fielding side greater reward for taking a wicket late in the day.
"The fielding side have taken a wicket, they will be rewarded with having a new batter coming out. The batting side will have to decide are we going to send in a night watchman," he said.
"We felt that's again another thing that we're giving back to the bowlers to try to make sure that there is an even balance between bat and ball," he added.
MCC WORKING WITH ICC ON LAWS
Stewart said MCC works closely with the International Cricket Council (ICC) on the regulations governing the game, while matters such as the number of balls used in an ODI and other playing conditions are primarily decided by the ICC.
He acknowledged that the Laws of Cricket can be complicated, particularly as the game continues to expand globally, and said MCC is working to make them easier to understand and access.
As part of that effort, MCC has collaborated with the ICC for the first time to translate the Laws of Cricket into multiple languages.
A new Laws of Cricket app was launched in English, Hindi and Urdu on Wednesday, while Bangla and Kannada versions are set to be launched later this week.
DDCA director Shyam Sharma said such initiatives would help umpires and officials stay updated with the changing laws of the game.
"We are really grateful to him that they have chosen Delhi and our umpires will, their knowledge will be enhanced and everybody needs to be upgraded with the law," Sharma said.