3 Major take-aways from the ICC Annual Conference 2019

#2 Introduction of concussion substitutes

Jonny Bairstow

ICC has introduced the use of concussion substitutes in all forms of the game from August 1, 2019. The substitutes can feature in place of players playing in the starting 11.

The substitute player can play only in place of a player of the same kind. The substitution can be made only for injured players by the team's medical representative and only after the approval from the match referee.

The introduction of concussion substitutes will provide interesting possibilities for the games ahead. The criterion for approval set by the match referees will be extremely crucial.

The Ashes Test between Australia and England at Edgbaston will be the first international match played after the introduction of this new rule.

A similar decision was taken by the ICC in 2011 when it outlawed the use of 'runners' for injured batsmen. There were a few instances of batsmen using a runner when they were not injured but felt tired.

Hopefully, the match referees would strictly ensure that there is no misuse of the new rule.