Cricket Australia Introduces Trial Rules Allowing Injury Replacements

Cricket Australia recently introduced trial rules allowing injury replacements in this season’s domestic Sheffield Shield, with plans to develop a proposal to implement at the Test level.

Teams are allowed to replace a player injured up until stumps on day two of the match. The legitimacy of the injury substitution request will be determined by the match referee. To ensure fairness, the opposing team would then be permitted to make a tactical substitution in response, also by stumps on day two.

Notably, there are no restrictions on the type of ailment, with illness also included, and the injury may be sustained at any time after the toss, either pre- or post-play (during warm-ups or away from the venue overnight), through to stumps on the second day.

New South Wales seamer Sean Abbott became the first player substituted out of a Sheffield Shield match under the new trial rules after hurting his hand on day one of New South Wales’ contest with Victoria in Melbourne. Reserve paceman Charlie Stobo was subbed in as the first-ever injury replacement player.

The new rule differs from the Serious Injury Replacement Rule introduced in India earlier this year; BCCI’s rule is limited to the injuries that have occurred during the game and only applies to external injuries (like a deep cut or fracture) rather than internal (such as a calf strain).