Injuries are part and parcel of sports. And cricket is no different in this aspect.
Many players have gotten injured or fallen ill during cricket matches, forcing them to sit out and miss the action.
During the recently concluded first Test match between Pakistan and England in Multan, Pakistan’s spinner Abrar Ahmed had to be hospitalised as he fell ill.
As a result, he couldn’t bat in Pakistan’s second innings, and he was marked absent hurt on the scorecard.
So what is absent hurt in cricket? And what are the rules?
Here’s an explainer for you.
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What is absent hurt in cricket?
According to MCC’s Laws of Cricket, a player who sustains any injury or illness and can’t bat in his/her team’s innings will be marked as absent hurt.
Since there is no provision for substituting players in cricket except for concussion injuries, an ill or injured player can’t be replaced. The team will have to play the rest of the match with one less player, especially while batting.
However, an ill or injured player can be replaced with a substitute fielder when the team is fielding. But the substitute fielder can’t bat or bowl in the match.
Rules regarding absent hurt
If a player leaves the field during a match or fails to take the field at the start, they have to inform the umpires about their absence. The reason can be illness, injury, or any other unavoidable circumstances.
The concerned player can’t return to the field until the umpire approves it. Plus, the player can’t bat or bowl after their return to the field until they serve their penalty time.
If an injured or ill player can’t come out to bat, then he/she will be considered absent hurt.
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What’s the difference between retired hurt and absent hurt?
Retired hurt means a batter got injured while he/she was batting and went off the field to get treatment. A retired hurt batter can resume their batting after they are fit to play, though once a wicket falls.
Whereas absent hurt means the player can’t take the field at all. The player may have sustained an injury during the fielding or fell ill before his/her batting chance came, meaning they are absent hurt.
