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After Covid-19 subs, former England captain Michael Atherton bats for ‘Hospital Substitutes’
Atherton batted for the idea keeping in mind the upcoming series between England and West Indies, starting July 8 which will be played in in a bio-secure environment.
Former England captain Michael Atherton wants the International Cricket Council to consider what could be called a ‘Hospital substitute’ which will allow replacement for a player needing to go to a hospital in case of an injury. Atherton batted for the idea keeping in mind the upcoming series between England and West Indies, starting July 8 which will be played in in a bio-secure environment.
“What, for example, happens if a batsman breaks a finger and he’s got to go to hospital for an X-ray? He’s got to leave the bubble and then come back, and if there’s a delay on testing or the results. I think you’ll see one or two compromises,” Atherton told former South Africa captain Shaun Pollock and host Neil Manthorp in the ‘Following On Cricket Podcast’.
The England and Wales Cricket Board director of special projects Steve Elworthy revealed last month that the ICC is already discussing the possibility of introducing substitutes if a player tests positive for Covid-19 during a test match. Last year, the ICC approved “like for like” substitutes across all formats of international cricket to replace concussed players during matches and Elworthy said the same rule would have to be applied for Covid-19 substitutes.
Atherton sees no reason why a similar rule cannot be applied for players needing to go to a hospital for scans or X-rays, which at times has ruled a player out of the match. In this case, a player will take the risk of stepping outside the bio-secure environment, which in turn can risk people’s health.
“If you remember, Marnus Labuschagne became the first concussion substitute for Steve Smith last year, and what will probably happen, as just a short-term measure, is if there’s an injury that’ll require someone to go to hospital, they’ll probably allow a substitute for that, whether it’s a broken finger or a torn hamstring or whatever,” he added.
