Like-for-like subs on the cards? Rishabh Pant's injury sparks major ICC rule review

Rishabh Pant's injury during the fourth Test against England sparked a discussion on whether the ICC should permit like-for-like replacements for external injuries. Pant suffered a broken metatarsal but still went out to bat since there was no provision for replacements for such injuries. He was not in optimal physical condition, which severely affected his performance. This posed a considerable disadvantage for India.

The existing rule permits substitutes to field or keep wickets, but they are prohibited from batting or bowling. Recent events have prompted numerous cricket legends to advocate for a rule modification that would allow replacements for external injuries. Indian cricket icon Sunil Gavaskar joined the ranks of Michael Vaughan and David Lloyd in supporting this proposed rule change.

“Here, it is a clear injury (Pant); there has to be a substitute. I want some sort of committee appointed to take a call on this. There is a cricket committee, ICC has a cricket committee, but at the moment that’s headed by Sourav Ganguly, the ICC chairman is Jay Shah, and the ICC CEO is Sanjog Gupta,” said Gavaskar as quoted by the Indian Express.

“So we don’t want a situation for the media here in particular and in Australia to say, ‘Oh, because it’s an Indian situation, they have started to do that’. So, let it be a totally different committee to look at these injuries, maybe with doctors, etc., and let that committee come to a call,” he added.

In the meantime, a report from the Times of India indicates that the ICC is considering modifications to the current rule and may permit a direct replacement for an injured player.

“There is a chance that teams will get to bring in a replacement for serious external injuries. The matter is already under deliberation. A ratification is expected in the next ICC cricket committee meeting,” an ICC source told TOI.

In June of this year, the ICC announced that full members of the global organization would trial like-for-like replacements for injured players in first-class cricket for a duration of six months starting from October 2025.

"Player who suffers a serious injury on the field of play at any time after the match has started (including any pre-match warm-up period) may be replaced for the remainder of the match by a fully participating like-for-like player," said an ICC statement.

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