A significant change is coming to cricket, altering the way boundary catches are judged and potentially eliminating some of the most spectacular fielding plays seen in recent years. The Marylebone Cricket Club (MCC), the custodian of the game's laws, has announced an amendment to Law 19.5.2, effectively banning "bunny hop" catches involving multiple airborne touches outside the boundary rope. This change will be integrated into the International Cricket Council's (ICC) playing conditions later this month, specifically from June 17, 2025, coinciding with the start of the new World Test Championship (WTC) cycle, before being formally incorporated into the MCC's Laws of Cricket in October 2026.
The crux of the rule change revolves around limiting fielders to a single airborne touch of the ball when they are outside the boundary. Previously, a fielder could jump from within the field of play, make multiple airborne touches of the ball while outside the boundary, and then complete the catch, provided their last contact with the ground before their first contact with the ball was within the boundary. This often led to acrobatic "bunny hop" catches, where fielders would juggle the ball while hopping outside the boundary before palming it back in for a teammate or diving back in themselves to complete the catch.
The MCC's decision to amend the law stems from a growing perception that these types of catches, while technically legal, often felt unfair and against the spirit of the game. Instances such as Michael Neser's catch in the Big Bash League (BBL) 2023 and a relay catch involving Tom Banton and Matt Renshaw in 2020 sparked widespread debate, prompting the ICC and MCC to review the existing law.
The updated Law 19.5.2 clarifies that a fielder is allowed to jump from outside the boundary and touch the ball once while airborne. However, after that first touch, every time they contact the ground, they must do so within the field of play. If they land or step outside the boundary during the rest of that play – even after completing the catch or throw – it will be counted as a boundary. In essence, the fielder gets only one chance to touch the ball from beyond the rope, and from that point forward, they must be fully inside the field until the ball becomes dead.
This change also impacts relay catches. If a fielder parries the ball while airborne outside the boundary and fails to return inside the field before the catch is completed – even by a teammate – it will be ruled a boundary. According to an MCC note, "Our solution has been to limit any fielder who has gone outside the boundary to touching the ball while airborne only once, and then, having done so, to be wholly grounded within the boundary for the rest of the duration of that delivery."
While the new rule will eliminate some spectacular fielding efforts, it aims to bring greater clarity and fairness to boundary catches. The MCC acknowledges that the existing law led to some "spectacular" fielding efforts but also created room for "some unusual-looking catches that, to the majority of the cricketing public, feel unfair." The change ensures that the boundary rope remains a clear and definitive line, and that fielders cannot exploit the laws to gain an unfair advantage by repeatedly touching the ball outside the field of play. The rule change will be integrated into the ICC's playing conditions starting June 17, 2025 and will be formally incorporated into the MCC's Laws of Cricket in October 2026.
