The International Cricket Council (ICC) is set to introduce a new rule in domestic first-class cricket.
Under this rule starting from October, if a player suffers a “serious injury” on the field, he can be replaced by a “like-for-like” player.
This trial will run for six months, and ICC full member countries will participate in it.
What about’Serious Injury’ Replacement Trial in Domestic ?
Till now, full replacement was allowed only for concussion (head injury) in cricket. In other injuries, the replacement player could only do fielding or wicketkeeping, neither batting nor bowling.
But now, if a player is seriously injured during the warm-up to the match, then a player will replace him who can do everything from batting to bowling.
But yes, this rule will not be for minor injuries like muscle strain or minor pain. The skill set of the replacement player should be the same as that of the injured player.
The recent incident with Zimbabwe fast bowler Richard Ngarava in the Test against England brought forth the need for this rule. He suffered a back injury on the first day at Trent Bridge, and walked off the field.
Later he returned for a while, but could not bowl due to being out for a long time. In such a situation, his team suffered a lot.
What impact will the ‘Serious Injury’ rule have?
This new rule can be a big advantage for those teams, whose important players like star bowlers or batsmen are out due to injury.
For example, India’s fast bowler Jasprit Bumrah suffered a back injury in the last Test of the Border-Gavaskar Trophy in Sydney this year. Australia won in his absence.
If this rule was there at that time, then perhaps India would have got another bowling option.
However, the umpires will have to be cautious in implementing this rule.
In the past, some teams have misused the concussion rules, such as bringing on a player who is better suited to the situation.
This trial will show whether the rule can be implemented fairly and effectively.
