Time for a change? Injuries to Pant and Woakes revive call for substitutes in Tests

Dubai: For a format built on resilience and character, Test cricket may now be forcing its toughest players to push too far. Within the space of two games, two frontline cricketers — Rishabh Pant and Chris Woakes — have suffered match-ending injuries while playing for their countries during the high-voltage Anderson-Tendulkar series. Neither India nor England could be replaced under current ICC rules, leaving their teams tactically compromised in critical moments of the series.

The developments have brought renewed focus on whether Test cricket needs to evolve beyond concussion and Covid-19 substitutes to include replacements for serious in-match injuries like fractures and dislocations.

India head coach Gautam Gambhir has led the chorus for change. He praised Pant’s courage to return and bat with a broken foot during the fourth Test in Manchester, but questioned the fairness of denying teams an injury substitute in such situations.

“Any amount of praise is not enough for him... Absolutely, I’m all for it,” Gambhir said after the match. “If the umpires and the match referee see and feel that it is a major injury, I think it’s very important to have this rule where you can get a substitute — that is, if the injury is clearly visible.”

“In a closely fought series like this, imagine if we had to play with 10 men against 11 — how unfortunate would that be?” he added.

The debate deepened on Day 1 of the fifth and final Test at The Oval, when England seamer Chris Woakes suffered a left shoulder injury while trying to stop a boundary. Woakes was visibly in pain and left the field clutching his arm. He was subsequently ruled out of the remainder of the match, with the ECB confirming he would undergo further assessments after the series.

Former England pacer Stuart Broad said such incidents show why injury substitutions must be considered more seriously.

“There are decent arguments either way, aren’t there?” Broad told Sky Sports. “It would certainly improve the standard and quality of cricket if you could keep it at 11-v-11 throughout the game, especially when it’s unusual injuries, like Pant’s last week or what has happened with Woakes.”

Broad stressed that Woakes didn’t enter the match with any fitness concerns and sustained the injury in the field of play.

Former India wicketkeeper Dinesh Karthik echoed similar sentiments. “For the second time in this series, on day one of a Test match, an injury has happened where you get the feeling that the player couldn’t participate in the Test match anymore,” he said. “It begs the question — if it is a proper injury, like what we have seen with Woakes, maybe the team could ask for a replacement if the match referee feels it’s OK.”

Currently, the ICC permits in-match substitutions only for confirmed cases of concussion or Covid-19. The landmark moment for concussion replacements came in the 2019 Ashes when Marnus Labuschagne replaced Steve Smith, who was struck by a Jofra Archer bouncer.

England captain Ben Stokes, however, strongly opposes expanding the rule. He believes it could be exploited and erode the integrity of team selection.

“I think it’s absolutely ridiculous that there’s a conversation around an injury replacement,” Stokes said. “There would be too many loopholes for teams to exploit. You pick your XI for a game; injuries are part of the game.”

“But if you stick me in an MRI scanner, I could get someone else in straightaway. If you scan any bowler, you’ll find a bit of inflammation somewhere. So I just think that conversation should be shut down.”

But he may be wanting to reconsider his position after England have been left with only three pace bowling options after Woakes was ruled out with main pacers - Stokes, Jofra Archer and Brydon Carse - sitting out this Test.

India’s situation in Manchester illustrated the limits of the current system. With Pant off the field, Dhruv Jurel was allowed to keep wickets as a substitute, but still Pant walked in to bat with a broken foot.

With high-profile players like Pant and Woakes ruled out in consecutive Tests, the issue is no longer theoretical. As cricket evolves to protect its players and preserve the quality of contests, pressure is mounting on the ICC to take a more flexible view — one that balances tradition with the modern demands of elite sport.