Major decisions were made during the International Cricket Council (ICC) board meeting in Dubai on Monday which will have far-reaching consequences.
While understanding them can be a challenge, they are important to grasp. Some have been welcomed by the cricketing world while at least one has been met with criticism. Let's run through them.
Boundary count rule scrapped
New Zealand and England scored the same number of runs even after the Super Over in the World Cup final at Lord's this year. Yet England were crowned victors due to a superior boundary count.
No one really predicted a Super Over might be tied in a final. And yet it was and the rule was seen to be unfair. So the ICC decided that in 50 and 20-over World Cup "semi-finals and finals... the Super Over will be repeated until one team has more runs than the other".
Now if that had been in place in England on that fateful summer's day...
Women's cricket gets the big bucks
Women's world events will now have a lot more cash on offer. The ICC announced that prize money for ICC women’s events has been increased by $2.6 million (Dh 9.5m).
For the women's T20 World Cup in Australia next year, the winners and runners-up will now receive $1m and $500,000 respectively, which is five times the amount that was on offer in 2018. Also, the women’s World Cup 2021 prize purse has been increased from $2m to $3.5m.
And what is the most pleasing aspect of this? The world body said: "This increase follows a rise in the revenue generated by the sport, a proportion of which is assigned to prize money."
Zimbabwe, Nepal readmitted
Zimbabwe have been reinstated as a full member of the ICC, three months after their board was suspended for government interference.
The ICC had frozen funding to Zimbabwe Cricket (ZC) in July, leading to widespread panic among cricketers in the country. But the suspension has now been revoked.
Nepal were also reinstated following their 2016 suspension over interference from the government. The decision came after this month's Cricket Association of Nepal elections.
This means Zimbabwe will now be able to compete in the Under-19 World Cup in January.
More world events
This is where things get tricky. The ICC has announced that the next cycle of eight years – starting in 2023 – will have eight world events i.e. two 50-over World Cups, four T20 World Cups and two Champions Trophy-like 50-over events.
So that turns out to be one major event every year. What's the problem? Well, India don't like it one bit. They have already lost a sizeable portion of their original share of ICC revenues following changes brought in by current ICC chief Shashank Manohar.
Now if there is a world event every year, the lion's share of future advertising revenues will go to the ICC and not the Indian board, as has been the case so far. The BCCI is gearing up for a messy war, now that it has held elections after being in a state of limbo for three years. Get ready for a rocky ride.
