Joshua van Heerden Makes History as First Injury Substitute Under New Trial Rule

The first like-for-like injury replacement is Joshua van Heerden, the top-order batsman for Western Province. Van Heerden became the first substitute under the new cricket substitutions trial when he replaced Edward Moore in a CSA 4-Day Series Division 1 match against the Lions. On Day 2 of the match at Newlands in Cape Town, he was fielding when he sustained a left adductor rupture (inner thigh muscle).

After Edward Moore tore his left adductor muscle while fielding on the second day of Western Province's four-day match against the Lions in Cape Town, Van Heerden took his position. The International Cricket Council (ICC) is spearheading the new substitutes trial, which is also being held in Australia (Sheffield Shield) and India (Ranji Trophy and Duleep Trophy). The goal of the rule is to find a way to compensate teams whose players suffer severe injuries during a multi-day match.

Joshua van Heerden Creates History:

🚨 BREAKING CRICKET NEWS 🚨 A historic moment as Joshua Van Heerden swoops into action, becoming the first like-for-like injury substitute in a bold new cricket trial! 👏🏾 Western Province's opening batter took over for Edward Moore in a nail-biting four-day clash against Lions.… pic.twitter.com/sgNNmuFoLk

— Cricap (@Cricap2024) October 4, 2025

The Sheffield Shield in Australia, the Duleep Trophy and Ranji Trophy in India, and South Africa's first-class competition are all testing the substitute system. Its goal is to give teams backup if players sustain catastrophic injuries during play. South Africa has adopted a more stringent evaluation procedure that considers both internal and external injuries, according to ESPN Cricinfo.

The player must undergo an ultrasound and/or an MRI if they have an internal injury, such as a Moore's muscle tear. Following that, the report is forwarded to Obakeng Sepeng, the manager of cricket operations for CSA, and Dr Hashendra Ramjee, the organisation's top medical officer. After reviewing the findings, they will decide whether the injury is severe enough to warrant replacement.

The match referee, however, can decide on the substitution on their own by speaking with Dr Ramjee and Sepeng if the damage is external, such as a visible dislocation or fractured bone. The procedures that various nations follow differ noticeably from one another. This is a result of many boards wishing to utilise the system in various ways. The results of the study will eventually be reported to the ICC by each cricketing board. The ICC using the like-for-like substitutions rule in the international game is a remote possibility. Currently, only replacements for concussions are used.

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