News Desk
\nEngland
\nMen\u2019s and women\u2019s teams across all formats of international and first class cricket will be allowed to replace concussed players during matches following a two-year trial in the domestic game, the International Cricket Council (ICC) has said.
\nThe rule has been included in the governing body\u2019s playing conditions and will be effective starting Aug. 1 when the Ashes series between England and Australia begins at Edgbaston.
\nDecisions on concussion will be made by the team\u2019s medical representative while the incoming player, who will be allowed to bat and bowl, must be deemed a \u201clike for like\u201d replacement approved by the match referee.
\n\u201cFollowing a two-year trial… in domestic cricket, the ICC approved concussion player replacements in all formats of men s and women s international cricket and for first class cricket worldwide,\u201d the ICC said in a statement (here) following their annual conference in London.
\nConcussion substitutes have been on trial in Australia\u2019s domestic game since the 2016-17 season while the England and Wales Cricket Board adopted the regulations for its four professional domestic competitions in 2018.
\nCricket Australia (CA) and the Australian Cricketers\u2019 Association (ACA) welcomed the ICC\u2019s move to expand the rule to cover international cricket.
\n\u201cCreating an environment where players feel comfortable in dealing with concussion… and are able to be appropriately accessed, is vital for their long-term health and wellbeing,\u201d ACA chief executive Alistair Nicholson said.
\nDiscussions on concussion and player safety intensified after former Australia test batsman Phillip Hughes died in 2014, having been fatally hit on the head by a bouncer in a first class match.
\nAfghanistan\u2019s Hashmatullah Shahidi ignored medical advice and continued batting after being hit on the head by a bouncer in a World Cup clash with England last month, prompting demands that players should not take those calls.
\nCA sports science manager Alex Kountouris said the new rule would allow players to declare symptoms of concussion that could occur well after the incident, knowing their team would not be disadvantaged.
\nConcussion is a major concern in other sports as well, with rugby\u2019s world body considering rule changes to reduce the risk of head injuries. <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
News Desk England Men\u2019s and women\u2019s teams across all formats of international and first class cricket will be allowed to replace concussed players during matches following a two-year trial in the domestic game, the International Cricket Council (ICC) has said. The rule has been included in the governing body\u2019s playing conditions and will be effective […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":75072,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[3],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-75079","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-sports"],"yoast_head":"\n