Rules of Cricket

Injuries and Substitutions

In baseball, a player may be substituted for any reason. The substitute may pitch and bat. Substituted players may not return to the game. In cricket, a player may not be substituted except for injury. The substitute may not bowl or bat. Substituted players must return to the game as soon as they are capable.

In baseball, injured players will most likely be substituted. In cricket, because substitutes cannot bat, players sometimes bat even with serious injuries, if it is absolutely necessary to score a few more runs.

A player in the nominated 11 of a side may not be substituted for any reason other than injury or illness sustained during the match. A player who begins the match injured or ill may not leave the field because of that injury or illness unless it becomes worse during the match. If a player leaves the field for any other reason, no substitute player is allowed. A substituted fielder must return to the field as soon as he is capable of playing without danger.

Substitutes for injured or ill players may only field. Substitutes may not bat, bowl, or act as wicket-keeper.

A side will usually nominate a twelfth man before the game, who will be the first substitute used in case of injuries. This does not need to be adhered to, however, and any available player may be used as a substitute.

Injured Batsmen

If a batsman is injured, he may retire from the field without being out - the next batsman in the batting order will come in to bat. If the injured batsman recovers enough to bat, he may resume his innings at the fall of any wicket in the same innings. If a batsman is too injured to bat when no other batsmen remain to come in after a wicket falls, his innings is forfeited and his side's innings ends.

Runners

If a batsman is able to bat, but not run, then another player from the nominated 11 in the side may run for him. The runner must carry a bat and wear the same protective equipment as the injured batsman, and performs all his running.

When the injured batsman is the striker: The runner stands behind the striker's popping crease, but approximately 20m (20 yards) to one side of the pitch. If the batsmen wish to take runs, the injured striker remains behind his crease, while the runner runs parallel to the pitch.
When the injured batsman is the non-striker: The runner takes the non-striker's place at the non-striker's wicket. The injured batsman stands behind the striker's popping crease, but approximately 20m (20 yards) to one side of the pitch. If the batsmen wish to take runs, the injured batsman remains behind that crease, while the striker and runner run near the pitch.

The injured batsman must remain behind the striker's crease at all times when the ball is live or risk being run out or stumped, as appropriate, even if his runner is behind a crease. The injured batsman may also be out handled the ball or obstructing the field if either he or his runner does either of those things while standing away from the pitch.

Injured Bowler

If a bowler is injured during an over and cannot complete it, another bowler must bowl the remaining deliveries in that over. The bowler chosen to finish the over must not be the bowler who bowled the previous over, and must not bowl the over immediately following either.

Return of Injured Players

A fielder may only return to the field with the permission of the umpires. The umpires should grant this permission as soon as they become aware that a player wishes to return.

If a fielder leaves the field for 15 minutes or longer and then returns, he may not bowl until after he has been on the field for a length of time equal to how long he was absent.