Before and after: two balls left
Illustrative example: on a non-final day, a batter is dismissed two minutes before the agreed close with two balls left in the over. The innings continues and conditions permit play.
Under the 2022 provision, play stopped and the unfinished over resumed the next day. Under the 2026 provision, the replacement batter comes in and the over is completed. Compare 2022 Law 12.5.2 with 2026 Law 12.5.2.
Confirmed change and commencement
MCC announced the fourth edition on 3 February 2026 and specified 1 October 2026 as its commencement date. The announcement describes committee ratification and expressly identifies this end-of-day change. It does not give a separate vote date. Announcement and commencement are therefore distinct dates, not interchangeable evidence of when play changed. See MCC’s official announcement.
As reviewed on 1 November 2026, the commencement date has passed. This record compares the historical 2022 baseline with the 2026 edition; it does not present the former rule as current.
Who is affected and what remains conditional
This matters to batters, fielding teams, umpires and spectators in multi-day cricket. It removes the automatic overnight reprieve following a late dismissal or retirement; it does not require play through an interruption or after the innings or match has ended. Final-day match completion is addressed separately by Law 12.10. See the 2026 Laws.
This is an MCC Laws change, not a verified implementation notice for every competition. No competition-specific early or delayed adoption date is established here. Check the applicable international, domestic, club or junior playing conditions: MCC explains that competition regulations can modify its Laws.
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Official evidence
- 2022 edition, English text: Law 12.5, printed page 45.
- 2026 edition: Law 12.5, printed page 38; Law 12.10, printed pages 41–42.
- MCC announcement: adoption context and commencement on 1 October 2026.
- MCC edition index and explanation of competition playing regulations.
Change status
Confirmed change
Effective from:
Before and after
| Situation | Marylebone Cricket Club (MCC) · Laws of Cricket, 2017 Code, 3rd Edition (2022) · Historical MCC baseline for multi-day cricket; English text in MCC’s hosted English–Hindi diglot edition. Competition playing conditions may modify the Laws. | Marylebone Cricket Club (MCC) · Laws of Cricket, 2017 Code, 4th Edition (2026) · MCC baseline for multi-day cricket from 1 October 2026, subject to competition playing conditions. The change concerns the end of a day’s play; completion of the match has separate provisions. |
|---|---|---|
| Dismissal or retirement near the end of a day | Except at the end of the match, Law 12.5.2 required an immediate interval when a batter was dismissed or retired with less than three minutes remaining before the agreed interval, including the overnight interval. An interrupted over resumed later unless the innings had ended. | Law 12.5.2 now excludes the end of a day’s play from that dismissal-or-retirement shortcut: the over must be completed. The separate provision for players having occasion to leave the field remains; innings endings and the end of the match require their applicable provisions. |
Rule editions and sources
- Marylebone Cricket Club (MCC) · Laws of Cricket, 2017 Code, 3rd Edition (2022) · Historical MCC baseline for multi-day cricket; English text in MCC’s hosted English–Hindi diglot edition. Competition playing conditions may modify the Laws. — MCC, Laws of Cricket 2017 Code, 3rd Edition (2022)
- Marylebone Cricket Club (MCC) · Laws of Cricket, 2017 Code, 4th Edition (2026) · MCC baseline for multi-day cricket from 1 October 2026, subject to competition playing conditions. The change concerns the end of a day’s play; completion of the match has separate provisions. — MCC Laws of Cricket: 2017 Code, 4th Edition (2026)