This year, teams playing in the County Championship have benefited from a more relaxed set of rules surrounding substitutes and when they can be used.
Prior to a trial which started at the beginning of the 2026 season, substitutes were only permitted in the event of a player being concussed or receiving an international call-up.
All other reasons would mean that a team would lose that player, and would see out the remainder of the match, in which the player in question was no longer available, with just 10 men.
However, a trial introduced at the start of the 2026 county season means that events such as injury, illness and significant life events permits teams more allowances to make changes midway through a match.
It means that mid-match, counties are permitted to make substitutes for the reasons listed above. All replacements must be approved by the England and Wales Cricket Board (ECB).
Players that are used as replacements must also be a like-for-like switch for the player they are coming into the match for – so if a bowler is being introduced into the match, they must be replacing another bowler.
The International Cricket Council have requested that national governing bodies trial a range of options that incorporate more room for replacements to be introduced into matches.
Similar trials have been introduced in the domestic game in Australia, India and South Africa. However, the ECB were first to introduce substitutes for injury, illness and life events.
