Captains to finalise teams after toss in SA20

South Africa's new T20 competition has added several tweaks to normal playing conditions, including a rule that will stop batting teams from taking overthrows if the ball deflects off the stumps in a runout attempt

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Teams in the SA20 will be able to select their playing XIs after the coin toss in one of several tweaks from tradition in the tournament's playing conditions.

Captains in South Africa's new T20 competition, which debuts on Tuesday, will present a list of 13 players prior to the toss, with a decision on the makeup of the side finalised only after the teams know whether they are batting or bowling first.

Another innovation – one which has been mooted by pundits at times – will see batting teams prevented from taking overthrows if the ball deflects off the stumps in an attempt to complete a runout, with a tournament statement stressing a desire to promote "positive and attacking" fielding.

The same idea has been brought in to deal with free hits, where batters will be unable to run byes if the delivery hits the stumps and deflects away.

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Jofra Archer is one of several England players set to take part (Gareth Copley/Getty Images)

That became a thorny issue when India faced Pakistan at recent the T20 World Cup, with several voices calling for a law change after Virat Kohli was bowled by a Mohammad Nawaz free hit but was able to take three runs after the ball rolled towards the third-man boundary.

Teams are also being encouraged to win convincingly, with bonus points to be awarded for sides whose run rate is at least 1.25 times greater than their opposition.

Slow over rates will be tackled with fielding restriction penalties rather than any moves that might see a captain suspended, while each innings will feature two timeouts in a nod to the Indian Premier League, which has its imprint all over the new competition, with all six teams owned by IPL franchises.


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