Jones injury a case for replacements in modern cricket?
Simon Jones' injury was bad luck for England
David Wiseman
08-Nov-2002
Simon Jones' injury was bad luck for England. Not only did England lose
their quickest bowler, they have been left a bowler short for the rest of
the Test match.
Cricket is one of the only team sports which does not allow for replacement
of players. Soccer does, rugby does, basketball does. However, these are not
sports which last up to five days.
But is there merit in cricket sides being able to replace an injured player?
Cricket is the most traditional of games and you might be hard-pressed to
convince the purists that the change is worthwhile.
It has also been the inability to replace injured players which have brought the
game some of its most heroic moments. Such as the time Eddie Paynter came
out of hospital to hit the winning runs for England in the fourth Test of
the Bodyline Series.
How could anyone ever forget Rick McCosker coming out to bat in the
Centenary Test with a broken jaw. Coming in at the fall of the eighth wicket,
his 25 runs, and his partnership with Rodney Marsh, proved the difference.
That's batsmen and there is no doubt that cricket is a batsman's game because
if you are a bowler and are injured, it's doubtful that you would be able to
bowl. And it's not like you have to. That tenth wicket may prove the
difference but if you can't bowl, the ball is simply thrown to another
bowler.
Maybe one solution is to allow the 12th man to bowl. Who knows?
Cricket has embraced the technologies which are available and updated the
game to complement the modern age. The whole concept of the twelfth man,
substitutes and replacements is something which the ICC should look at
modernising next.