Why Did MCC Decide to Make ‘Bunny Hop’ Boundary Catches Illegal?

London, June 14 (NationPress) The stunning boundary catches that have captivated cricket enthusiasts in recent years—especially Michael Neser’s now-iconic “bunny hop” during the Big Bash League—are about to be outlawed.

As part of a crucial revision to the cricket laws, the Marylebone Cricket Club (MCC), the guardians of the Laws of Cricket, has announced a major update to the regulations regarding boundary catches. This revised version will be integrated into the ICC’s playing conditions starting later this month and will officially enter the MCC’s Laws in October 2026.

This amendment, prompted by a request from the ICC Cricket Committee, seeks to tackle a perceived inconsistency between spectacular athleticism and fairness within the game. The MCC pointed out that while recent interpretations of the law have allowed for “some remarkable fielding,” they have also “led to some peculiar catches that, to most cricket fans, seem unjust.”

The catalyst for this review was Michael Neser’s breathtaking catch in BBL 2023 while playing for the Brisbane Heat. As he pursued a lofted drive from Jordan Silk of the Sydney Sixers, Neser caught the ball just inside the boundary but, recognizing his momentum would take him over the edge, tossed the ball into the air. He landed outside the boundary, leaped again—still airborne—palmed the ball back into play, and then returned to the field to complete the catch.

While this was permissible under Law 19.5.2 at the time—which states that a fielder's last contact with the ground before first touching the ball must be within the boundary—Neser’s “bunny hop” ignited widespread discussion. The MCC officially acknowledged that the move “met the law,” but added that it “felt as though the fielder had—quite literally—gone too far.”

Inspired by Matt Renshaw’s similar attempt in BBL 2020, where he tapped the ball back from beyond the boundary for Tom Banton to finish the catch, Neser’s play exemplified the exploitation of the law’s loopholes. However, such displays, although technically correct, resonated poorly with purists and fans alike.

While some pushed for a complete return to the pre-2010 law—when fielders were required to re-establish themselves inside the boundary before any further contact with the ball—the MCC rejected that idea as “likely too severe.” It would eliminate modern classics like Harleen Deol’s catch against England in 2021 and Alex Hales’ stunning catch in 2020, both of which were legal under current rules.

Instead, the MCC has introduced what it describes as a “solution” that restricts any fielder who has gone outside the boundary to only one airborne contact with the ball, requiring them to be “entirely grounded within the boundary for the remainder of that delivery.”

The guidance is clear: “MCC has formulated new wording that removes the ‘bunny hop’ entirely beyond the boundary, but these catches where the fielder pushes the ball up from inside the boundary, steps outside, and then dives back to catch the ball, are allowed.”

This rule also applies to relay catches. If a fielder touches the ball while airborne beyond the boundary and then relays it to a teammate within the field, they must return and land within the boundary before the catch is considered valid. “Even if the ball is deflected—to another fielder or inside the field of play—if the fielder lands outside the boundary or subsequently steps outside, a boundary will be awarded,” the MCC clarified.

“For clarity,” the statement continues, “this means the fielder has one opportunity, and only one, to touch the ball having jumped from outside the boundary. After that, the boundary is a definitive line—and any time they touch the ground during that delivery, they must be inside.”

The amended law will be enforced in ICC matches commencing with the new cycle of the World Test Championship, which kicks off on June 17 with Sri Lanka facing Bangladesh in Galle. The MCC’s formalized version will come into effect in October 2026, coinciding with the next official round of law modifications.