The MCC’s new change to the Laws of Cricket is going to affect the legitimacy of “bunny hop” boundary catches in the future. Here's how the Laws are changing and what effect it will have.
Which Laws of Cricket are changing?
The MCC will change Section 2 of Law 19.5 (Fielder Grounded beyond the boundary).
According to an ESPNcricinfo report, Law 19.5.2 will now read: “A fielder who is not in contact with the ground is considered to be grounded beyond the boundary if, prior to their first contact with the ball, their final contact with the ground was not entirely within the boundary. This applies to any fielder who makes contact with the ball after it has been delivered by the bowler, whether or not the ball has previously been touched by another fielder.”
Additionally, there will be Law 19.5.2.1: “If a fielder's first contact with the ball does not contravene 19.5.2, that fielder may then jump from outside the boundary in order to make contact with the ball whilst airborne. After making contact with the ball once airborne, all subsequent contact with the ground by that fielder, until the ball becomes dead, must be within the field of play. Any subsequent contact with the ground outside the boundary by that fielder during that delivery, whether or not in contact with the ball, will result in a boundary being scored.”
And Law 19.5.2.2: “If the ball is returned to the field of play, whether to another fielder or onto the ground, by a fielder who has jumped from outside the boundary, that fielder must land, and remain, within the boundary until the ball becomes dead. Otherwise, a boundary shall be scored.”
Can you give me a TL;DR version?
It is perhaps easier to cite an example. In the 2022/23 BBL, Jordan Silk of the Sydney Sixers lofted a ball from Mark Steketee over deep extra-cover. Michael Neser of the Brisbane Heat held the ball but realised that he was going to cross over the rope. As he crossed the boundary, Neser tossed the ball in the air.
As the ball descended outside the boundary, Neser 'bunny-hopped', intercepted the ball while airborne, and tossed the ball up again. By the time it descended inside the boundary, Neser had returned to take the catch.
Neser knew what he was doing: he had seen Matt Renshaw catch Matthew Wade in similar fashion in 2019/20 edition. While legal, the catch drew some criticism (of the Laws, not Neser).
As per the changed Laws, these catches will now be deemed illegal, for both solo efforts and relayed catches. Effectively, each fielder gets one chance to jump from outside the playing area and touch the ball area per delivery, as long as they start from within the field of play before first touching the ball, and end within the field of play after any subsequent touches of the ball.
When will the changes be implemented?
The MCC will not implement these changes to the Laws of Cricket, which cover all cricket at all levels, until October 2026.
However, the ICC will make the necessary changes to their playing conditions for the 2025-2027 World Test Championship, which is set to begin on June 17 at Galle between Sri Lanka and Bangladesh.
