Test batsmen calls for rule change after missing most of Middlesex match due to concussion
Voges backs proposed 'concussion substitutes'
Following a freak accident that saw him miss the majority of Middlesex’s County Championship clash with Hampshire, Adam Voges has thrown his support behind a rule change in first-class cricket that would allow substitutions for concussed players.
Voges was struck on the back of the head by an errant throw from the boundary on day one of Middlesex’s match in Southampton earlier this month. Under England and Wales Cricket Board guidelines, he was ruled out of the remaining three days of the fixture, leaving Middlesex without their captain for most of the match.
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A similar situation unfolded earlier in February, in a match that Voges also featured in, when former Australia Test opener Ed Cowan was forced out of New South Wales’ Sheffield Shield game against a Voges-captained Western Australia side, after being struck on the helmet by a Joel Paris bouncer.
"We had that Sheffield Shield game in New Zealand last year where Ed Cowan got hit and was forced to retire hurt with concussion," Voges told cricket.com.au.
"I actually spoke to Nic Maddinson, the captain of New South Wales at the time, and offered the idea to them that if they could see it in the rules that a substitute would be allowed, they wouldn’t get any arguments from me.
"Ultimately we weren’t able to do that but the fact that you get pulled out by a member of the medical staff and you’re unable to take any further part in the game (makes a substitution) a fair option.
"In my case, (while playing for Middlesex) I got hit just before tea on day one and wasn’t able to partake in any more of the game, so it was a pretty big disadvantage for us by being a player down for the majority of the game."
In that match, Hampshire director of cricket Giles White and Middlesex coach Richard Scott had agreed a substitute for Voges would be a fair outcome, but their goodwill was also thwarted by the International Cricket Council’s current regulations, which don't permit substitutes for concussed players.
Both Cricket Australia and the ECB have policies that don’t allow a concussed player to take any further part in a match, even if they express their willingness to do so.
Voges says that’s what makes a concussion manifestly different from other injuries.
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And while the 36-year-old understands the opposing side of the debate – the rule that only a team’s 11 named players can take part in a match has always been a feature of first-class cricket – he believes there’s scope for change.
"I think the fact concussions probably have been highlighted a little more in the last few years has probably brought all this to light to a bit," Voges said.
"But I understand the other side to it saying, 'Where do you stop?'
"If a fast-bowler goes down with a muscle tear on the first day of a game, their involvement in the game after that will be pretty limited, so do you allow substitutes for that as well?
"I wouldn’t agree with that (being permitted), so I guess (the authorities) are weighing all of that up.
"In my opinion, if a player is ruled out by the medical staff with a concussion, then I think a sub would be a good option."
Following the release of the Curtain Review into the death of Phillip Hughes this week, Cricket Australia chief executive James Sutherland announced CA were exploring the possibility of allowing ‘concussion substitutes’ in domestic games.
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Although the Curtain Review, headed by David Curtain QC, did not make a formal recommendation on the use of concussion substitutes, it did suggest such it is “a matter requiring ongoing consideration”.
Sutherland said changes to regulations on the use of replacements for concussed players would be discussed at the summit.
"It is understood that the ICC Cricket Committee will consider this and related issues at their next meeting on 31 May," Sutherland said.
"ICC approval of the introduction of substitutes is required in order for four-day matches to retain their first class status.
"The Cricket Australia Playing Conditions Advisory Committee will also consider recommendations relating to concussion substitutes in all other domestic cricket competitions under CA's auspices."
The ICC Cricket Committee, who today announced the appointment of former Test captains Rahul Dravid and Mahela Jayawardena, host their annual summit later this month at Lord’s.
Australia head coach Darren Lehmann, former Australia off-spinner Tim May and England director of cricket Andrew Strauss are all members of the committee and is chaired by former India captain Anil Kumble.