Now, 'No ball' if bowler breaks non-striker's wicket

The International Cricket Council has introduced a new playing condition for Tests, One-Day Internationals and Twenty20 Internationals that requires the umpires to call 'no ball' whenever a bowler breaks the non-striker's wicket during a delivery.

This provision will come into effect on April 30, and the first international match to be played under the new regulation will be the first ODI between Zimbabwe and Bangladesh in Bulawayo on May 3.

"The recent interpretation used in international matches to call 'dead ball' when a bowler breaks the wicket during a delivery has not adequately dealt with this situation," ICC's General Manager - Cricket, Geoff Allardice, said.

"The Marylebone Cricket Club (MCC) recently decided to address this issue by introducing a new 'no ball' law from 1 October 2013. The ICC Cricket Committee noted the MCC's decision, and recommended that an ICC playing condition, mirroring the new no ball law, be introduced to international cricket as early as possible," he added.

The ICC Chief Executives Committee approved this recommendation at its March meeting in Dubai.

"The ICC has decided to introduce this playing condition five months prior to the MCC changing the 'no ball' law because there is a lot of important cricket to be played before 1 October, including the ICC Champions Trophy in June.

"The introduction of this playing condition will now provide greater certainty for all involved when a bowler breaks the wickets during the act of delivery," said Allardice.

Image: England's Steve Finn bowls in the first Test against Bangladesh at Lords on May 29, 2010.

Photograph: Julian Herbert/Getty Images