The International Cricket Council (ICC) has introduced a new rule whereby a player must be at least 15 years old to eligible to play at the international level. The rule will be applicable for any for of men’s, women’s or Under-19 cricket.
The International Cricket Council has confirmed the imposition of a minimum age restriction for international cricket to improve the safety of players. This ICC rule will also apply to women’s cricket including ICC events, bilateral cricket and under-19 cricket. The ICC said in a statement that for men to play in any format, women or U19 international cricketers must now have a minimum age of 15 years.
“The Board confirmed the introduction of minimum age restrictions for international cricket to improve safeguarding of players which will apply across all cricket including ICC events, bilateral cricket and U19 cricket. To play in any form of men’s, women’s or U19 international cricket players must now be a minimum age of 15,” the ICC said in a statement.
However, 15-year-old players will also be given a chance in exceptional circumstances. A member board may ask the ICC to allow a player under 15 to play for them. However, that player should be able to cope with the game experience and mental development.
“In case of exceptional circumstances, a Member Board could apply to the ICC to allow a player under the age of 15 to play for them. This could include where the player’s playing experience and mental development and wellbeing demonstrates that they would be capable of coping with the demands of international cricket,” it said.
At the same time, the ICC made the announcement, confirming the change in the World Test Championship rules due to the coronavirus pandemic. The teams will now be ranked based on the percentage of points earned from full matches to determine the finalists for the inaugural World Test Championship (WTC) to be held next year. Prior to this rule, the Indian team was at number one in the ICC World Test Championship but has now slipped to number two. In this way, India has suffered the most.
Earlier, there was no restriction on age limit but it has now been placed to improve ‘safeguarding of players’.
