Cricket Australia deserves tremendous credit for this exciting trial of injury substitutes. It will be played over the first five rounds of the domestic Sheffield Shield competition, beginning this coming Saturday. This project addresses player injuries occurring on the field of play. Most importantly, it allows teams to sign replacement players to fill in for injured players under specific conditions.
Beyond discouraging substitutions, under the new rules only one substitution per match will be allowed. The player coming in must be a like-for-like replacement. For example, a bowler can only be replaced by another bowler. A player can be replaced by another member of the team if they are injured or become sick prior to, during, or after the matchup. It is up to the match referee to permit substitutions, right up until the close of play on day two.
Given the backdrop of recent sexual harassment cases in professional cricket, this is a significant decision. Next England’s Chris Woakes dislocated his shoulder in the fifth Test against India. Despite the fracture, he batted on day five, albeit unable to bowl himself. These types of circumstances have underscored the difficulties teams must navigate when addressing player injuries during a game.
Earlier this year, India successfully tested a similar rule in its domestic red ball competition. Even that initiative only addressed on-field injuries and required those injuries to be visible, such as a deep cut or a broken bone. Notably, Indian cricketer Rishabh Pant played through a fractured foot during the fourth Test, emphasizing the need for flexible rules regarding player substitutions.
Since 2019, concussion replacements have been used in the sport, allowing the player to continue to bat and bowl. Injury replacements were authorized following discussions that emerged from England’s Test series in India this summer. Player welfare and match integrity became hot button issues during those negotiations.
Peter Roach from Cricket Australia stated, “Cricket Australia management will be collecting information on the success or otherwise of the trial to assess the options post that round.” He further added, “We hope to learn much about the trial across the first five rounds that we can use in both our competition going forward, and pass up to the International Cricket Council (ICC) for consideration for introduction at Test level.”
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