The cricket authorities in England are hoping that International Cricket Council would allow coronavirus replacements when the West Indies and Pakistan travel the country for upcoming Test series.
The England and Wales Cricket Board is in talks with the ICC to the playing conditions, according to a BBC report.
“There are still some considerations from an ICC perspective about a Covid-19 replacement. That still needs to be agreed. I would hope that would be in place well before the Test series starts in July,” ECB director of events Steve Elworthy said.
The change would apply to Test cricket but not ODIs and Twenty20 Internationals. As of now, a player can be replaced during a match if he is suffering from a concussion.
For all other injuries and illnesses, a substitute fielder may be permitted, but that player cannot bat or bowl. The ICC has banned the use of saliva to shine the ball amid the pandemic.
The ECB has pushed back its domestic season to August 1 but the re-scheduled Test series against West Indies and Pakistan are likely to go ahead in a bio-secure environment. “From a planning point of view, we have got everything in place. We’re ready for it, but clearly we don’t want to stray outside of government guidelines and government decision-making,” said Elworthy.
England on Friday released names of 55 players, who have been asked to return to training.