Noah Thain becomes first injury substitute in English county cricket

Essex all-rounder Noah Thain became the first ever ​injury substitute in county cricket ‌in England on Friday when ​he replaced captain Tom ⁠Westley, who broke a finger while batting against Hampshire in Southampton.

The ‌England and Wales Cricket Board (ECB) debuted a season-long trial ‌earlier this week, allowing ‌fully ⁠participating, like-for-like replacements in ⁠the case of injuries, illness or significant life events like the birth of ​a child ‌or the serious illness of a family member.

Injured players could be replaced by a substitute ‌fielder under existing rules, ​but the ECB allowed them to participate fully after ⁠the International Cricket Council (ICC) asked member boards to experiment with ‌injury substitutes in domestic cricket.

Similar rules have been tried out in the domestic first-class competitions of Australia, India and South Africa.

The substitutions must be ‌approved by the match referee and ​once replaced, a player cannot return to the game.

As ⁠a like-for-like replacement for Westley, ⁠who is primarily a batter, Thain will be allowed ‌to bat but cannot bowl in this match. 

Published on Apr 03, 2026