To play in any form of men’s, women’s, or under-19 international cricket, players must now be at least 15 years of age for safeguard, the International Cricket Council (ICC) announced on Thursday.

ICC Board confirmed the introduction of minimum age restrictions for international cricket to help safeguard players. The restrictions will apply across all cricket, including the ICC events, bilateral cricket, and under-19 cricket.

“In case of exceptional circumstances, a Member Board could apply to the ICC to allow a player under the age of 15 to play for them. This could include where the player’s playing experience and mental development and well-being demonstrates that they would be capable of coping with the demands of international cricket,” the ICC said in a statement.

The decision came in ICC’s last quarterly meeting of the year, which also saw a number of significant changes — primarily the change in World Test Championship’s point-calculation system, and the shifting of Women’s T20 World Cup from 2022 to 2023.