GUIDES · BETSLIP DOCTOR
How do ICC men’s ODI and T20I rules penalize a batter who delays the next delivery?
Under the October 2026 standard ICC men’s conditions, an incoming batter must be ready to take guard, or the partner ready to receive the next ball, within two minutes in an ODI and 1 minute 30 seconds in a T20I. Other striker delays have a separate readiness test, and warnings for batter time wasting accumulate within the innings; a third or later occurrence can bring five runs to the fielding side. This is separate from a Timed Out dismissal under clause 40.
For Cricket viewers trying to understand batter-readiness warnings and penalty runs · Updated
The incoming-batter window depends on format
After a wicket falls, the ODI clause gives the incoming batter two minutes to be in position to take guard, or for the partner to be ready to receive the next ball. The corresponding T20I window is 1 minute 30 seconds. These are format-specific times in the October 2026 standard men’s documents.
The same clause also addresses the striker already at the crease. The striker should be ready for the first ball of an over once the umpires and fielding side are ready, and during an over when the bowler is ready to begin the run-up. The incoming-batter timer and the striker’s readiness duty are related parts of clause 41.10, but they describe different situations.
Warnings accumulate across the innings
For a striker who delays play by not being ready, the first such occasion brings a warning and the second a final warning. On the third and later occasions, the umpire awards five penalty runs to the fielding side. The umpires inform the non-striker, incoming batters, fielding captain and other umpire when a warning is issued, so the next batter is told about the state of the process.
Clause 41.10.4 makes the process cumulative: warnings for time wasting by either batter, whether for the listed readiness failures or another way of wasting time, are combined for the penalty threshold. A new batter does not get a fresh count just by arriving. If umpires believe the act was deliberate or repetitive, they may also report it under the ICC Code of Conduct; a reader should not infer intent from a disputed incident.
A warning or five-run penalty is not Timed Out
The clause 41.10 warning-and-penalty process is distinct from the Timed Out dismissal in clause 40. A late arrival may raise a separate question under the dismissal rule, but a time-wasting warning or penalty under clause 41.10 does not itself declare the batter out Timed Out. Apply the relevant clauses to the facts and the event’s own conditions rather than treating every delay as the same ruling.
Use the playing conditions that govern the series
This page describes only the October 2026 standard ICC men’s ODI and T20I editions, not MCC Laws, Tests, women’s, youth, domestic or franchise cricket. The ICC says the revised conditions apply to international series starting on or after 1 October 2026, while ongoing series continue under prior regulations. Event-specific rules may differ. This explanation does not decide whether conduct in a real match was deliberate, repetitive or reportable.
A hypothetical warning sequence
In a fictional T20I, imagine the incoming batter and partner are not ready for the next ball within 1 minute 30 seconds of the previous wicket. In a separate fictional ODI, compare the two-minute window. For another hypothetical innings, assume a batter has already received the first and final warnings, then delays play again. The next applicable occasion brings five penalty runs to the fielding side under clause 41.10. The warning and penalty count is cumulative within that innings, and the result is not itself a Timed Out dismissal. No real player or incident is being judged.
Related questions
Does a new batter restart the warning count?
No. Clause 41.10.4 combines warnings for time wasting by either batter for purposes of the cumulative penalty process within the innings. Incoming batters are informed of warnings already issued.
Is the five-run penalty a Timed Out dismissal?
No. Clause 41.10 awards penalty runs to the fielding side after repeated time-wasting warnings. Timed Out is a separate dismissal in clause 40.