Boundary catches: the end of the 'bunny hop'

Spectacular boundary catches, where a fielder leaps from outside the rope and pushes the ball back into play, are still allowed. What has changed is the repeated tapping of the ball while jumping up and down beyond the boundary, nicknamed the bunny hop.

The new position in short

• A fielder whose last contact with the ground was beyond the boundary may touch the ball only once while in the air.
• After that single touch, they must land inside the field of play, or the ball must be completed by a team-mate who is inside, for the catch to stand.
• If the fielder touches the ball again while still outside, or lands outside while holding it, it is a boundary, not a catch.

Relay catches

Pushing the ball back to a team-mate is still legal. If the first fielder ends up beyond the boundary, the catch only counts once the team-mate completes it inside the playing area.

When it applies

The ICC brought this into international playing conditions in 2025, and the MCC has written it into the Laws of Cricket for all levels of the game from 1 October 2026.