Explained: What Is the Stop Clock Rule That Led to USA’s 5-Run Penalty vs India?

Everything that you need to know about cricket's 'Stop Clock' rule, which was implemented during India vs USA.

The match between India and the United States of America at the ICC Men’s T20 World Cup 2024, on Wednesday (12 June), was a historic occasion. Not because India qualified for the Super 8, or Virat Kohli was dismissed for a golden duck, but owing to USA becoming the first-ever team to be penalised five runs under the ‘Stop Clock’ rule, which was permanently implemented only since the beginning of this competition.

Here is everything you should know about the rule:

What Happened in the India vs USA Match?

The incident took place at a rather crucial juncture of the match – prior to the 16th over. To contextualise, India were 76/3 at that point, requiring 35 runs for the victory in the last five overs.

Before Jasdeep Singh could start the over, Australian umpire Paul Reiffel called the American captain, Aaron Jones, to convey his team had been handed a five-run penalty. The umpire also explained the reasoning behind the decision.

Albeit it eventually turned out to be a comfortable chase, the penalty proved to be significant at that very moment, for it reduced the required run rate at a time when the Indian batters were struggling to accumulate runs at a brisk pace.

What Is This Stop Clock Rule?

The stop clock rule, which was made a permanent addition to the playing conditions since this competition’s commencement, states that:

• Following the completion of an over, the fielding team will be given 60 seconds to start the next over. An electronic clock will be present at venues to keep track of the timing.

Should the rule be violated on three occasions in a single match, the fielding team will be handed a five-match penalty at the third occurrence of the violation.

The ICC ruling states:

As per stop clock rule that was trialled in men’s white-ball cricket, the fielding side is expected to start a new over within 60 seconds of the completion of the previous over. An electronic clock, counting down from 60 to zero, will be displayed on the ground, with the onus on the third umpire to determine the start of the clock.

International Cricket Council (ICC)

About the penalty, ICC mentions:

The failure of the fielding side to be ready to bowl the first ball of their next over within the stipulated 60 seconds of the previous over being completed attracts two warnings. Subsequent breaches would lead to a five-run penalty per incident.

International Cricket Council (ICC)

When Was This Rule First Implemented?

This rule was first approved by the Chief Executives’ Committee (CEC) on 21 November 2023, following an organisational board meeting in Gujarat’s Ahmedabad.

At that time, it was agreed upon that the rule would first be implemented on a trial basis – for six months, from December 2023 to April 2024 – and the decision regarding the plausibility of its permanent implementation will be taken by the CEC, following the completion of the experimentation period.

When and Why Was This Rule Made Permanent?

Albeit the experimentation period was supposed to conclude in April 2024, the ICC announced the decision to make this rule a permanent feature a month prior, that is, in March 2024, citing encouraging results during the trial phase. The rule was made a mandatory playing condition on 1 June, with the opening ICC Men’s T20 World Cup 2024 match between USA and Canada being the first occasion of its permanent implementation.

The ICC stated:

Results presented to the Chief Executives’ Committee (CEC) demonstrated that approximately 20 minutes had been saved per ODI match. The feature has now been added as a mandatory playing condition in all Full Member ODI and T20I matches from 1 June 2024.

International Cricket Council (ICC)

What Was the Reason Behind Implementing This Rule?

The rule was implemented by the ICC as a measure to accelerate the pace of play, with some T20 matches taking over four hours to complete. The suggestion was first floated by the Mike Gatting-led MCC Committee way back in August 2018, at the Lord’s, taking its inspiration from tennis’ ‘shot clock’ rule.

Are There Any Exceptions to This Rule?

Of course, there are exceptions to this rule. The ICC states this rule will not be applicable under the following circumstances:

• When a new batter comes to the wicket between overs – that is, the last delivery of the previous over produces a wicket.

• When an official drinks break is called.

• When the umpires approve the on-field treatment of an injury to a batter or fielder.

• When the loss of time is owing to any circumstance beyond the control of the fielding side.

What Were the Preceding Penalties for Slow Over Rate?

There were, indeed, penalties applicable to fielding sides prior to the implementation of this rule – although it worked slightly differently, and is still being implemented.

In 2022, it was announced that if a fielding team fails to start the last over within the stipulated time, they will have to keep an additional fielder inside the 30-yard circle. This was in addition to the financial fines, which were being implemented prior to the inception of this rule.