Sheffield Shield to allow substitute players in case of concussion this summer

After long delays and discussion, the International Cricket Council (ICC) has finally decided to introduce substitute players in case of concussion in the Sheffield Shield in the upcoming summer. In the past few days, we have already witnessed two big incidents of cricketers being struck on the head by the ball. While one incident involving Aussie vice-captain David Warner was not a serious one, as the other incident resulted in the death of a young Pakistani local cricketer named Zubair Ahmed.

The upcoming Sheffield Shield season has received the clearance from the ICC, to allow concussion substitutes to take the field if a player is forced to leave due to a concussion. ICC has decided to enforce the introduction on a trial basis for the next two years. This is also the first time that the above-mentioned measure would be allowed in the Sheffield Shield tournament, following its inception in Australia’s domestic one-day cup and the Big Bash League last summer. However, if the trial system comes out to be a successful one, then it can also be introduced at the national level for the 2019-20 summer season.

Cricket Australia is pretty supportive

The Cricket Australia (CA) has been very conservative and protective towards the cricketers after the shocking death of late Aussie batsman Phillip Hughes in November 2014. The board has been far more supportive towards the introduction of protective measures for the safety of players. “Cricket Australia has been a strong advocate for concussion substitutes and we have successfully introduced this into our other competitions,” said a CA spokesperson.

“We look forward to formalizing the introduction of this rule into the Sheffield Shield ahead of this season,” the spokesperson added.

Previous policy

Previously in the Shield tournament, the substitute players were only allowed to replace the injured on-field players for the fielding purposes and not in the capacity of a batter or bowler. The present policy also states that if the injured player is diagnosed with a concussion, the player is forced his way out of the game which results in the team losing a bowler or batter of their side.

However, the idea of allowing concussion substitutes promises to be a successful one, as it would ensure proper care and safety of cricketers in the coming season.