Substitute (cricket)
Encyclopedia
A substitute in the sport
of cricket
is a replacement player
that the umpires allow when a player has been injured or become ill after the nomination of the players at the start of the game. The rules for substitutes all appear in Law 2 of the Laws of cricket
.
or as captain, unless otherwise agreed by the captains. A famous example is the 1986 Test between England and New Zealand at Lords , where England used 4 different wicketkeepers due to injury to their original wicketkeeper. (But see "Tactical substitute" below.) The substitute may also act as a runner when the injured or ill player is batting, but may not bat himself. A player may bat, bowl and field even if he has had a substitute for part of the game. If a player has a runner, he may be given out if either he or his runner transgresses the rules.
A substitute is permitted to take catches as with any other player, and on some occasions does. The first occasion in Test cricket
was in the Test between England and Australia in 1884
, when Billy Murdoch
was caught to Tup Scott
, he played as a substitute in the opposing team (England).
Only two batsmen have retired out in an international cricket
Test match
. Both instances occurred in the same match, with the Sri Lankan
batsmen Marvan Atapattu
and Mahela Jayawardene
.
announced, as part of a package of changes to the playing conditions for One Day Internationals to be trialled over a ten-month period, that football
-style tactical substitutions would be permitted. Each team was to be allowed one substitute, who had to be named before the toss was made, and could be introduced at any stage of the match. The NatWest Challenge series between England
and Australia
in July saw the first use of these new regulations, which did not apply to other forms of cricket such as Test matches
.
This change, however, was widely criticised by players, commentators, and fans. In particular, it was said to give the team that wins the toss an even greater advantage than usual.
In March 2006 players and officials started to rebel against this controversial rule and a One Day International series between South Africa and Australia saw the players agree to boycott the rule. Just a few weeks later the International Cricket Council announced that the rule was being withdrawn, and it is no longer used.
In the Ashes test series of 2005, Ricky Ponting
complained about what he regarded as the tactical substitution of specialist fielders for weaker bowlers in the English team, which he argued was against the spirit of cricket. English bowlers were frequently substituted at the end of bowling spells and replaced with fresh fielders. The English coach argued that these substitutions were either legitimate injuries or players "answering the call of nature". Ponting was fined 75% of his match fee for dissent after being run out by a substitute fielder during the fourth test
.
In 2008 the International Cricket Council tightened the regulations on the use of substitutions, saying "Substitute fielders shall only be permitted in cases of injury, illness or other wholly acceptable reasons...and should not include what is commonly referred to as a 'comfort break'"
Sport
A Sport is all forms of physical activity which, through casual or organised participation, aim to use, maintain or improve physical fitness and provide entertainment to participants. Sport may be competitive, where a winner or winners can be identified by objective means, and may require a degree...
of cricket
Cricket
Cricket is a bat-and-ball game played between two teams of 11 players on an oval-shaped field, at the centre of which is a rectangular 22-yard long pitch. One team bats, trying to score as many runs as possible while the other team bowls and fields, trying to dismiss the batsmen and thus limit the...
is a replacement player
Player (game)
A player of a game is a participant therein. The term 'player' is used with this same meaning both in game theory and in ordinary recreational games....
that the umpires allow when a player has been injured or become ill after the nomination of the players at the start of the game. The rules for substitutes all appear in Law 2 of the Laws of cricket
Laws of cricket
The laws of cricket are a set of rules established by the Marylebone Cricket Club which describe the laws of cricket worldwide, to ensure uniformity and fairness. There are currently 42 laws, which outline all aspects of how the game is played from how a team wins a game, how a batsman is...
.
Overview
A substitute can act for the injured or ill player in the field, although he may not bowl, bat, or act as wicket-keeperWicket-keeper
The wicket-keeper in the sport of cricket is the player on the fielding side who stands behind the wicket or stumps being guarded by the batsman currently on strike...
or as captain, unless otherwise agreed by the captains. A famous example is the 1986 Test between England and New Zealand at Lords , where England used 4 different wicketkeepers due to injury to their original wicketkeeper. (But see "Tactical substitute" below.) The substitute may also act as a runner when the injured or ill player is batting, but may not bat himself. A player may bat, bowl and field even if he has had a substitute for part of the game. If a player has a runner, he may be given out if either he or his runner transgresses the rules.
A substitute is permitted to take catches as with any other player, and on some occasions does. The first occasion in Test cricket
Test cricket
Test cricket is the longest form of the sport of cricket. Test matches are played between national representative teams with "Test status", as determined by the International Cricket Council , with four innings played between two teams of 11 players over a period of up to a maximum five days...
was in the Test between England and Australia in 1884
1884 English cricket season
The 1884 English cricket season saw Fred Spofforth, an overseas bowler, take the most wickets-Leading batsmen:Lord Harris was the leading runscorer with 1417 @ 33.73-External sources:* -Annual reviews:...
, when Billy Murdoch
Billy Murdoch
William Lloyd Murdoch was an Australian cricketer, who captained the Australian team on tours to England in 1880, 1882 , 1884 and 1890...
was caught to Tup Scott
Tup Scott
Henry James Herbert Scott was a cricketer who played for Victoria and Australia. Scott, a doctor by training, later served as mayor and chief magistrate in the rural New South Wales town of Scone; he died here of typhoid in 1910.His first-class debut was at the age of nineteen in February 1878 for...
, he played as a substitute in the opposing team (England).
Retired hurt
If a batsman is injured or falls ill while batting, he may retire and resume his innings at the dismissal or retirement of another batsman. If he cannot return by the end of the innings, the batting side must close its innings after all other batsmen are dismissed (excluding the not-out batsman). This can occur if the batsman requires medical attention away from the ground. It is therefore possible for the side batting last in a match to lose despite only losing nine (or potentially fewer) wickets. For the purposes of calculating a batting average, a scorecard entry of 'Retired, hurt' or 'Retired, ill' is considered not out.Retired out
In cricket, a batsman retires out if he retires without the umpire's permission, and does not have the permission of the opposing captain to resume his innings. This occasionally happens in friendly or practice matches, for instance English county sides against University Centres of Cricketing Excellence. Although it is not considered to be a dismissal in the context of a cricket match, it is considered a dismissal for the purposes of calculating a batting average.Only two batsmen have retired out in an international cricket
Cricket
Cricket is a bat-and-ball game played between two teams of 11 players on an oval-shaped field, at the centre of which is a rectangular 22-yard long pitch. One team bats, trying to score as many runs as possible while the other team bowls and fields, trying to dismiss the batsmen and thus limit the...
Test match
Test cricket
Test cricket is the longest form of the sport of cricket. Test matches are played between national representative teams with "Test status", as determined by the International Cricket Council , with four innings played between two teams of 11 players over a period of up to a maximum five days...
. Both instances occurred in the same match, with the Sri Lankan
Sri Lankan cricket team
The Sri Lankan cricket team is the national cricket team of Sri Lanka. The team first played international cricket in 1926–27, and were later awarded Test status in 1981, which made Sri Lanka the eighth Test cricket playing nation...
batsmen Marvan Atapattu
Marvan Atapattu
Marvan Samson Atapattu is a former Sri Lankan cricketer and former Sri Lankan captain. Towards the end of his career he joined the Indian Cricket League and captained the Delhi Giants...
and Mahela Jayawardene
Mahela Jayawardene
Denagamage Proboth Mahela de Silva Jayawardene , known as Mahela Jayawardene, is the former captain of the Sri Lankan cricket team. He is a specialist batsman who has a Test average of over 50, and an ODI average in the 30s...
.
Restrictions on injured fielder
When a player leaves the ground due to injury and is replaced by a substitute fielder, he/she is generally not permitted to return and immediately resume bowling (or batting if their team's innings commences while they are off the field). The injured player is required to spend a period of time back on the field at least equal to the time that they were absent before resuming bowling. Variations of the time periods required and the circumstances of the players return to the field apply in different forms of the game.Tactical substitute
In 2005, the International Cricket CouncilInternational Cricket Council
The International Cricket Council is the international governing body of cricket. It was founded as the Imperial Cricket Conference in 1909 by representatives from England, Australia and South Africa, renamed the International Cricket Conference in 1965, and took up its current name in 1989.The...
announced, as part of a package of changes to the playing conditions for One Day Internationals to be trialled over a ten-month period, that football
Football (soccer)
Association football, more commonly known as football or soccer, is a sport played between two teams of eleven players with a spherical ball...
-style tactical substitutions would be permitted. Each team was to be allowed one substitute, who had to be named before the toss was made, and could be introduced at any stage of the match. The NatWest Challenge series between England
English cricket team
The England and Wales cricket team is a cricket team which represents England and Wales. Until 1992 it also represented Scotland. Since 1 January 1997 it has been governed by the England and Wales Cricket Board , having been previously governed by Marylebone Cricket Club from 1903 until the end...
and Australia
Australian cricket team
The Australian cricket team is the national cricket team of Australia. It is the joint oldest team in Test cricket, having played in the first Test match in 1877...
in July saw the first use of these new regulations, which did not apply to other forms of cricket such as Test matches
Test cricket
Test cricket is the longest form of the sport of cricket. Test matches are played between national representative teams with "Test status", as determined by the International Cricket Council , with four innings played between two teams of 11 players over a period of up to a maximum five days...
.
This change, however, was widely criticised by players, commentators, and fans. In particular, it was said to give the team that wins the toss an even greater advantage than usual.
In March 2006 players and officials started to rebel against this controversial rule and a One Day International series between South Africa and Australia saw the players agree to boycott the rule. Just a few weeks later the International Cricket Council announced that the rule was being withdrawn, and it is no longer used.
In the Ashes test series of 2005, Ricky Ponting
Ricky Ponting
Ricky Thomas Ponting , nicknamed Punter, is an Australian cricketer, a former captain of the Australian cricket team between 2004 and 2011 in Test cricket and 2002 and 2011 in One Day International cricket. He is a specialist right-handed batsman, slips and close catching fielder, as well as a very...
complained about what he regarded as the tactical substitution of specialist fielders for weaker bowlers in the English team, which he argued was against the spirit of cricket. English bowlers were frequently substituted at the end of bowling spells and replaced with fresh fielders. The English coach argued that these substitutions were either legitimate injuries or players "answering the call of nature". Ponting was fined 75% of his match fee for dissent after being run out by a substitute fielder during the fourth test
Gary Pratt
Gary Joseph Pratt is an English cricketer and a footballer. He is primarily a left-handed batsman but also bowls right-arm off breaks...
.
In 2008 the International Cricket Council tightened the regulations on the use of substitutions, saying "Substitute fielders shall only be permitted in cases of injury, illness or other wholly acceptable reasons...and should not include what is commonly referred to as a 'comfort break'"