The England Cricket Board (ECB) has banned cricketers from wearing smartwatches on the field of play in all upcoming fixtures, tightening its anti-corruption regulations in the wake of live streaming in county cricket. The governing body had earlier allowed players to wear smartwatches on the field of play, provided that communication or data transmission facilities would be switched off in televised games.

"But with the vast majority of fixtures now available to watch live worldwide thanks to the growth of live-streaming services in the county game, the regulations have been tightened, meaning that smartwatches are completely banned in televised games and are permitted in the players' and match officials' areas (dressing rooms, balconies, dugouts) only in non-televised games," a report in ESPNcricinfo said.