\ufeffGet all the latest cricket news, highlights and analysis delivered straight to your inbox with Fox Sports Sportmail. Sign up now!!!<\/a><\/p>\n Singh Dale pulled up with a hamstring injury at the beginning of his third over after opening the bowling against his former county Gloucestershire in the Division 2 four-day clash, which began on Friday.<\/p>\n Lancashire had medium-pacer Tom Bailey and 25-year-old quick Mitchell Stanley waiting in the wings, but Stanley experienced back spasms on the morning of the game was ruled out.<\/p>\n The James Anderson-led side therefore nominated to have Bailey fill the void, but match officials denied their request.<\/p>\n The 34-year-old is a slower bowler than Dale, but boasts a superb first-class average with the ball of less than 25 from 125 matches.<\/p>\n Bailey\u2019s average is far superior to Dale\u2019s, who is more than a decade his junior and averages 35.8.<\/p>\n But match officials were happy to tick off the inclusion of Sutton, who was playing for Lancashire\u2019s Second XI at Leicestershire at the time.<\/p>\n The left-arm quick, who played Melbourne club cricket in recent years and is also a handy batter, is also not a like-for-like replacement for Singh Dale given his different angle.<\/p>\n \u201cWe had a right-arm opening bowler in Tom Bailey, which we feel is a perfect replacement,\u201d Lancashire head coach Steven Croft said. <\/p>\n \u201cIt\u2019s not someone coming in bowling 10mph quicker.<\/p>\n \u201cWe asked for Bails [Bailey] to be the replacement, but that was denied unfortunately. We had to then turn to a left-arm seam bowling all-rounder, which did get granted to replace Ajeet, which doesn\u2019t sit well with us really. <\/p>\n \u201cHe\u2019s a different skill set, he\u2019s left-arm, and he bats. We had a literal like-for-like in Tom Bailey, who is a right-arm seam opening bowler. I don\u2019t know how we\u2019ve got to that conclusion, but it\u2019s got there in the end, and we crack on.\u201d<\/p>\n READ MORE<\/p>\n \ufeffIPL\u2019s $4m Aussie explodes to overcome form slump as Indian star goes ballistic<\/a><\/p>\n Star\u2019s blistering ton to no avail as Ponting\u2019s coaching masterstroke maintains perfect IPL start<\/a><\/p>\n Triple treat for cricket fans: Full details of how to watch Aussies and rivals touring Bangladesh<\/a><\/p>\n Cam Green relieved after 1st IPL 50 | 01:30<\/p>\n Sutton did not bowl as the Cameron Bancroft-led Gloucestershire made it to stumps at 6\/124 from 44 overs on a rain-affected opening day.<\/p>\n Lancashire were left a bowler down as Sutton made the Uber journey southwest.<\/p>\n Bailey could have slotted straight into the attack as he was at the ground, but Croft said officials told him they pointed to \u201cstats and experience\u201d when making their decision.<\/p>\n \u201cIt was a little bit on stats and experience, but nothing on that was stipulated when these regulations came out,\u201d Croft said. <\/p>\n \u201cThere is going to be grey areas, but if Tom bowled that next ball I don\u2019t think anyone in the whole ground would have batted an eyelid. <\/p>\n \u201cWe weren\u2019t trying to pull the wool over anyone\u2019s eyes. If it was that much of an advantage we\u2019d have started with Bails. It\u2019s a tough one to take, and bizarre that it\u2019s not been granted.\u201d<\/p>\n It was the ninth substitution made since the rule was introduced at the start of the season, but it was not the first to cause a stir.<\/p>\n The Sheffield Shield brought in injury replacement\u2019s during the summer just gone, and it appeared to be implemented with little resistance.<\/p>\n Teams were allowed to replace players who sustained injuries on the first two days of a match with a like-for-like replacement.<\/p>\n In the Sheffield Shield final, Victoria subbed in Mitchell Perry for the injured Sam Elliott and Perry took a wicket with his first ball after being the selection hard luck story of the final.<\/p>\n But many in England have been left outraged by the rule.<\/p>\n Somerset also had to call up a player from a Second XI game last week when Will Smeed replaced Tom Kohler-Cadmore.<\/p>\n While Victoria\u2019s Fergus O\u2019Neill has returned to Nottinghamshire this year and was subbed out and replaced by Lyndon James because five-Test quick Olly Stone was deemed to bowl too quickly.<\/p>\n O\u2019Neill also does not need to miss a game as a result.<\/p>\n With Nottinghamshire\u2019s next game falling outside of the mandatory eight-day stand-down period, O\u2019Neill is free to play.<\/p>\n Fergus O’Neill celebrates his 50 during day one of the County Championship Division 1 match between Nottinghamshire and Glamorgan.Source: Getty Images<\/p>\n \u201cIt is getting beyond ridiculous. The County Championship, after the England and Wales Cricket Board agreed to experiment with substitutions for injury this season, is fast becoming the theatre of the absurd,\u201d The Telegraph\u2019s<\/a> chief cricket writer Scyld Berry wrote.<\/p>\n \u201cAllowing a substitute for someone who has been concussed has to be right,\u201d Berry added. <\/p>\n \u201cOtherwise the concussed player, to show his commitment to his team, will take the risk of carrying on playing and could damage himself irreparably.<\/p>\n \u201cBut other injuries in cricket are an occupational hazard and, save for concussions, should surely stay that way. Otherwise there is no incentive for bowlers to warm up properly in future. Dale and other opening bowlers can turn their arm over a couple of times, save all their energy, and if they pull up with an injury so what? Only eight days off sick and he will be allowed by the new regulation to play again.<\/p>\n \u201cCricket is becoming a game not of 11 per side but 12 or even 13.\u201d<\/p>\n Berry also shared his sympathies for those having to enforce the new rule.<\/p>\n \u201cMatch referees, in a second major drawback to this system, are being placed in an impossible position,\u201d he wrote. <\/p>\n \u201cWhat two cricketers are alike? Even if they are twins like Jamie and Craig Overton, they can differ enormously, between fast and fast-medium in this case. For referees to have to judge who is a like-for-like replacement is again absurd.\u201d<\/p>\n The likes of Berry and many others in the Old Dart may have their prayers answered.<\/p>\n![](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/poster-fallback.png\"\/)
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