How ODI rules have changed since the 1992 World Cup

Supersub rule

More than just a 12th man

In 2005, the ICC introduced the supersub rule on a trial basis where both teams would name a 12th player who could substitute one of the players at any time during the match. Others sports already had rules for substitution in place and it was not strange that cricket chose to experiment with it.

Though the rule produced much excitement in the beginning, it soon had more naysayers than people accepting it. The main problem with the rule was since the captains had to name their teams and the supersub before the toss, this was a clear advantage to the team that won the toss.

Without knowing the result of the toss, it was often guesswork for the captains – for the team losing the toss, it became a case of 11 vs 12 because of the supersub. The experiment did not work out well and was therefore scrapped at the end of its trail.