DUBAI (Kashmir English): The International Cricket Council (ICC) is likely to introduce a new boundary catching rule to make ‘bunny hop’ catches illegal as the “majority of the cricketing public see unusual-looking catches unfair”.
The ‘bunny hop’ catches were taken by Tom Banton, Michael Neser, and Matt Renshaw in different editions of the Big Bash League (BBL).
During a Big Bash League 2023 match, Naser caught the ball with both hands, however, his momentum took him over the rope.
The Australian cricketer tossed the ball mid-air while airborne, landed beyond the boundary, leapt again, and batted the ball back into the field with both feet off the ground, then re-entered the playing area to complete the catch.
BBL catches
Matt Renshaw and Tom Banton completed similar catches during the BBL.
However, under the new rule being added to the ICC Playing Conditions this month—and later to the MCC’s Laws of Cricket in October 2026—an airborne fielder will be allowed to make contact with the ball only once while outside the boundary and must return to the field of play for the catch to be considered valid.
The Laws of Cricket, which govern the sport globally, are owned and maintained by the Marylebone Cricket Club (MCC).
These laws cover all aspects of the game, from setting up the field to various types of dismissals. The MCC has been responsible for codifying and updating the Laws since 1788, though the International Cricket Council (ICC) now acts as the global governing body.
The new ICC rule will no longer allow players to ‘bunny hop’ to take a catch at the boundary line.
The amendment in the MCC law came months after the ICC Cricket Committee asked the body to review boundary catching playing conditions.
In a note sent to member boards of the ICC, MCC maintained that while the existing rule had “led to some spectacular” fielding, it had also created room for “some unusual-looking catches that, to the majority of the cricketing public, feel unfair.”
