Can a substitute field, bowl or keep wicket?
A · Advanced · What can fielders do? · 15 of 20A substitute may field in place of a player who is injured or ill, or for another reason the umpires accept. A substitute cannot bowl, bat or captain, and can keep wicket only with the umpires' consent. A player who spends time off the field must then be back for that long before they can bowl.
How it works
- The player who left can come back at any time with the umpire's consent, and the substitute goes off.
- Penalty time: a player who has been off the field cannot bowl until they have been back on, or their side has been batting, for as long as they were away. Under the Laws this applies to every absence; in ICC internationals, only to absences longer than eight minutes.
- Penalty time also delays when the player can bat, unless five wickets have fallen.
- An external blow, such as being hit by the ball, does not create penalty time if the player had to leave because of it. Illness or an internal injury does.
- In ICC internationals, each side names its substitute fielders before the toss: up to six in Tests and four in ODIs and T20 internationals.
Tricky cases
Can a substitute bowl?
No. Only a nominated player can bowl. A concussion replacement is different: they replace the player fully.
Can a substitute bat?
No. Only nominated players bat.
Why couldn't the bowler bowl straight after coming back on?
Because of penalty time: they must be back on the field as long as they were off before bowling, up to a set maximum.
Do squad players on the field need to be marked?
In ICC internationals, squad members who are not playing or substituting must wear a training bib on the playing area.
Why the rule exists
It lets a side keep eleven fielders when someone is hurt, without letting it swap in fresh bowlers or rest a bowler off the field.
Where it differs
| Where | What changes | Source |
|---|---|---|
| The Laws | Penalty time for every absence; at most 90 minutes | L24.2.2.3, 24.2.3 |
| ICC men's internationals | Penalty time only after more than 8 minutes off | PC-T, PC-O, PC-I 24.2.3 |
| ICC men's Tests and ODIs | At most 120 minutes | PC-T 24.2.3.1, PC-O 24.2.3.1 |
| ICC men's T20 internationals | At most 40 minutes | PC-I 24.2.3.1 |
| ICC men's internationals | Substitute fielders named before the toss: up to six in Tests, four in ODIs and T20 internationals | PC-T 1.2.1; PC-O 1.2.1; PC-I 1.2.1 |
From the rule book
MCC Laws of Cricket, Laws 24.1 to 24.4 and 25.3, 4th Edition, in force from 1 October 2026. ICC men's playing conditions, clauses 1.2 and 24, October 2026. Checked 13 October 2026. Official documents: MCC Laws of Cricket (PDF); ICC playing conditions (PDF).