The England and Wales Cricket Board (ECB) has announced two significant modifications to the injured substitutions rule that was being tested during the 2026 County Championship season in response to input from the Professional County Clubs (PCCs) and Professional Cricketers’ Association (PCA).
Injury and illness substitutes will only be available to teams in their respective first innings unless the referee has been informed that a player is being evaluated for an illness or injury. Rather than talent or experience, the replacement must be like-for-like based on skill set.
“After considering the feedback from the first nine rounds of the Rothesay County Championship, the ECB board has approved the shift from an injury or illness replacement being available throughout the match.
The ECB said in an official statement that the Professional Game Committee (PGC) and the Cricket Advisory Group (CAG) both supported the change, which is intended to address any worries that a team could gain an advantage by being able to bring on a fresh bowler for their second bowling innings.
“The CAG and PGC also recommended the basis on which the match referee would approve a replacement player.” This will not consider the new player’s quality, experience, or record in comparison to the player being replaced. It will only be based on skill set, such as a hitter for a batter or a quick bowler for a quick bowler,” the statement continued.
Early in the season, teams were accused of trying to circumvent the rules by substituting bowlers near the end of the game. The fact that Lancashire refused to replace Ajeet Singh Dale with Tom Bailey because Bailey was supposedly a better hitter was another argument raised by critics.
The changes for the final six rounds of the County Championship have been released after receiving permission from the PCC and PCA. The changes were also endorsed by the Professional Game Committee (PGC) and the Cricket Advisory Group (CAG).
“It was also concluded that mid-season changes would not compromise the integrity of the Rothesay County Championship, given that all teams have played the same number of matches thus far and will be playing in all the remaining rounds still to come from the competition’s resumption in August.”
Before deciding on the next course of action, the ECB will evaluate the trial’s complete outcomes at the end of the season, including getting additional input from stakeholders including professional counties and the PCA,” the statement said.
The guidelines for concussion substitutes and players going through significant life events will remain the same throughout the season and be available during games.
