The ECB have announced key changes to their replacement player regulation trial after several controversies over its implementation during the first half of the season.
The changes include restricting the 'activation' of injury replacements to the first two innings of the game. Substitutes could previously be used at any point during a match, drawing criticism over the advantage gained from using a replacement late in the match.
During the second round fixture between Nottinghamshire and Glamorgan, Lyndon James replaced Fergus O'Neill on the final morning of the game after the latter suffered a rib injury. James subsequently took two wickets as Notts secured a 192-run win. Speaking after the game, Glamorgan captain Kiran Carlson said: "This is no slight on Notts whatsoever, because we would have done the exact same thing if we were in that position. But to bring in a guy who hadn't played cricket for three days to then come in and bowl, obviously that's an advantage."
The change to the rule brings the ECB trial closer in line with a similar trial run by Cricket Australia in the Sheffield Shield. Injury replacements were allowed in the 2025-26 edition of the tournament, but could only be brought on in the first two days of the game.
'Approval of a replacement player will not take into account relative experience or quality'
The second change to the County Championship trial states: "Approval of a replacement player will not take into account the relative quality, experience or record of the player being replaced and the replacement player. It will be based on skill set only."
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This change follows incidents where counties were denied use of individual replacements because their experience levels deemed them not like-for-like enough for the players they replaced. During the early rounds of the County Championship, Lancashire were denied the use of Tom Bailey, a fellow right-arm quick, as a like-for-like replacement for Ajeet Singh Dale, after Dale suffered a hamstring problem on day one against Gloucestershire. Bailey has played over 100 first-class matches, while Dale has 42 first-class caps under his belt. As a result of Bailey being refused as a substitute for Singh based on his superior experience, Ollie Sutton, a left-arm allrounder, who was playing in a second XI game in Bristol at the time, travelled to Old Trafford to replace Dale.
Lancashire were also denied Tom Hartley, a left-arm spinner, as a replacement for Arav Shetty, a right-arm spinner, against Durham. The objection to Hartley as a replacement wasn't over his different angle, but because of his greater experience than Shetty. Instead, wicketkeeper batter George Bell came into the XI.
The ECB clarified that while they would no longer consider relative quality or experience of a replacement, the types of skill set offered would be taken into account when approving a replacement. For example, "a quick bowler for a quick bowler, or a batter for a batter".
The County Championship is currently in its mid-season break while white-ball competitions and The Hundred take place. Fixtures will resume on August 20.
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