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In a move to give bowlers a bit of breathing room in 50-overs cricket, the ICC board has decided to do away with catching fielders in the first ten overs, get rid of the batting Powerplay, and allow five fielders outside the 30-yard circle in the last ten overs of an ODI innings. The other notable change that will take place from July 5 will see free hits awarded for all no balls in ODI and T20 internationals, not just when bowlers overstep.
These changes to the playing conditions were part of the recommendations made this May by the ICC's cricket committee headed by the former India captain Anil Kumble. David Richardson, the ICC chief executive, said the modifications were made to make the "game simpler" for the fan and were approved by the ICC's chief executive committee and further ratified by the ICC Board at the annual conference in Barbados this week.
"What we tried to do is make the game simpler for the fan and at the same time try and at least claw back a little bit of balance in favour of the bowlers especially in the last ten overs of the innings," Richardson said during a media conference on Friday. "So to that end we have got rid of the requirement to have compulsory close catchers in the first ten overs."

In reply to CaribbeanCricket.com Good move by the ICC, they brought back some balance to the game, however all the records made in the last WC will now stand for a long time as the battmen advantage is no longer there.

In reply to dayne
Indeed. But isn't that not true of cricket records down through the Eras?

In reply to dayne

The game will adjust itself again - like mitch said

They've adjusted and re-adjusted the ODI rules so many times that I've lost interest....

The reality is that since the T20 version has been invented, the ODI became the poor cousin, and no amount of tinkering is going to change that.

Interesting now that batsmen who got away with just swing and hope will have to play real cricket shots with guile and deft to get runs.