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
