Western Province opener Joshua van Heerden has made cricket history by becoming the first-ever like-for-like injury substitute under the ICC’s new trial system. He replaced Edward Moore during a provincial four-day match against the Lions at Newlands, after Moore suffered a left adductor (inner thigh muscle) tear while fielding on the second day.
A Milestone in Cricket’s Substitution Rules
The trial system, aimed at addressing situations where teams lose players to serious injuries mid-match, is being tested in South Africa’s first-class competition, as well as in Australia’s Sheffield Shield and India’s Duleep Trophy and Ranji Trophy.
“𝑻𝒉𝒆 𝒈𝒐𝒂𝒍 𝒊𝒔 𝒕𝒐 𝒆𝒏𝒔𝒖𝒓𝒆 𝒇𝒂𝒊𝒓𝒏𝒆𝒔𝒔 𝒂𝒏𝒅 𝒑𝒍𝒂𝒚𝒆𝒓 𝒔𝒂𝒇𝒆𝒕𝒚 𝒘𝒉𝒆𝒏 𝒖𝒏𝒆𝒙𝒑𝒆𝒄𝒕𝒆𝒅 𝒊𝒏𝒋𝒖𝒓𝒊𝒆𝒔 𝒐𝒄𝒄𝒖𝒓 𝒅𝒖𝒓𝒊𝒏𝒈 𝒂 𝒎𝒂𝒕𝒄𝒉,” 𝒂 𝑪𝑺𝑨 𝒐𝒇𝒇𝒊𝒄𝒊𝒂𝒍 𝒆𝒙𝒑𝒍𝒂𝒊𝒏𝒆𝒅.
South Africa’s version of the rule considers both internal injuries (like muscle tears) and external injuries (such as broken bones). If the injury is internal, the player must undergo an MRI or ultrasound scan, with medical reports reviewed by CSA’s chief medical officer Dr. Hashendra Ramjee and operations manager Obakeng Sepeng. Only after their approval can the match referee confirm the substitution.
In the case of an external injury, the match referee can make the decision directly in consultation with medical staff.
Strict Conditions and Reporting to ICC
According to CSA’s updated regulations, the injured player must be ruled out for the remainder of the match and will then observe a mandatory seven-day stand-down period before returning.
“𝑻𝒉𝒊𝒔 𝒏𝒆𝒘 𝒔𝒚𝒔𝒕𝒆𝒎 𝒊𝒔𝒏’𝒕 𝒋𝒖𝒔𝒕 𝒂𝒃𝒐𝒖𝒕 𝒓𝒆𝒑𝒍𝒂𝒄𝒊𝒏𝒈 𝒑𝒍𝒂𝒚𝒆𝒓𝒔—𝒊𝒕’𝒔 𝒂𝒃𝒐𝒖𝒕 𝒔𝒕𝒓𝒖𝒄𝒕𝒖𝒓𝒆𝒅 𝒎𝒆𝒅𝒊𝒄𝒂𝒍 𝒆𝒗𝒂𝒍𝒖𝒂𝒕𝒊𝒐𝒏 𝒂𝒏𝒅 𝒄𝒐𝒏𝒔𝒊𝒔𝒕𝒆𝒏𝒄𝒚 𝒂𝒄𝒓𝒐𝒔𝒔 𝒎𝒂𝒕𝒄𝒉𝒆𝒔,” 𝒔𝒂𝒊𝒅 𝑫𝒓. 𝑹𝒂𝒎𝒋𝒆𝒆.
In Australia, such substitutions are only allowed until stumps on the second day, with a 12-day recovery requirement. India, on the other hand, is currently limiting the trial to external injuries only.
The ICC will review data from all participating nations before deciding whether to implement the like-for-like injury substitution rule in international cricket, where only concussion substitutes are currently permitted.
Summary
Van Heerden’s inclusion marks a pivotal moment in the evolution of cricket’s playing conditions, signaling a shift towards greater player welfare and flexibility in first-class matches.
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