In a landmark decision, the BCCI will now conduct a second bone-age test for under-16 boys and under-15 girls participating in junior cricket, aiming to prevent players from missing out on a season due to flawed age calculations .

Under current rules, players undergo a bone test using the TW3 method, and an extra "arithmetic year" is added to their age to determine eligibility. But discrepancies sometimes arise. With the new protocol, players in these age groups will be retested the following season to confirm their continued eligibility - even after the +1 factor is applied .

As explained by a BCCI source, this ensures decisions are driven by scientific accuracy rather than purely mathematical inference . For instance, a U-16 player with a bone age of 15.4 remains eligible the next year, but if his bone age exceeds 15.5, he becomes ineligible for U-16 events.

The fresh bone test safeguards fair play, bridging the gap between arithmetic age and biological maturity, ensuring no junior player faces unwarranted exclusion.