The International Cricket Council (ICC) on Tuesday announced the introduction of a number of changes to its playing conditions which will be effective in all series starting September 28 or later, the first being the Test series between Pakistan and Sri Lanka.

The significant amendments include a restriction on dimensions of the bat, the introduction of player send-offs for misconduct and changes to the Decision Review System.

The ICC playing conditions will now incorporate the relevant clauses from the MCC Laws of Cricket (2017 Code), meaning that all the playing regulations will be captured in one document for each format.

“Most of the changes to the ICC playing conditions are being made as a result of changes to the Laws of Cricket that have been announced by the MCC. We have just completed a workshop with the umpires to ensure they understand all of the changes and we are now ready to introduce the new playing conditions to international matches,” ICC General Manager Cricket Geoff Allardice said.

To maintain the balance between bat and ball, the playing conditions now restrict the size of the edges of the bats as well as their thickness.

The restriction on the length and width of bats remain unchanged but the thickness of the edges can’t be more than 40mm and the overall depth can be 67mm at the most. Umpires will be equipped with a new bat gauge, which they can use to check a bat’s legality, the ICC announced.