Gone were the days when only one from the playing XI was allowed to keep the wickets when the existing keeper was injured in course of the match.
The traditional guardians of the Laws of Cricket confirmed substitute fielders will be permitted to don the gloves when a wicketkeeper suffers an injury from last October when the new set of rules came into effect.
Umpires will need to give their approval for a substitute fielder to take up the role in order to prevent teams from taking advantage of the new concession.
It is to be noted that these questions became viral in social media when Parthiv Patel was injured and Dinesh Karthik came into the field with his yellow gloves in the final test against Southafrica at Johannesburg.
Even in the Indian Premier League, when Ishan Kishan was hit by the ball due to a horrible throw from Pandya, Aditya Tare came to the ground to fill his shoes of the former one.
“It was felt that, if the original wicketkeeper was genuinely injured, then a substitute should be allowed to take over, but that the umpires should control the situation to prevent abuse,” the MCC explained in a summary of their amendments to Code. “A substitute still cannot bowl, bat or act as captain.”
During the Ashes, the MCC had their annual meet at Sydney and a new rule was put forth where the player can also be cancelled under extreme conditions of heat.
The new ICC rules are becoming player friendly and will play an integral role in the game going forward.
