Replacements will be trialed in domestic first-class cricket for players who suffer a "serious injury" during a game, meaning that a player can be replaced by a "like-for-like" replacement any time during a match, which includes the warm-up period.

The six-month trial by full members of the International Cricket Council (ICC) will start in October, as at the moment, ICC playing conditions for Tests do not allow full substitutes.

Teams are allowed to replace injured players in the field, although the "substitute shall not bowl or act as captain but may act as wicketkeeper only with the consent of the umpires".

The exception is if a player suffers a concussion.

The injury issue was highlighted last month when Zimbabwe pace bowler Richard Ngarava suffered a back problem on day one of the Test against England at Trent Bridge.

Ngarava returned briefly later in the day but was unable to bowl because of how long he had spent off the pitch. He looked in discomfort before leaving the field again.

According to an ESPNcricinfo report, the ICC has asked various boards to trial with full-time substitutions for “serious external injuries”.

Normally, full substitutions are allowed only in case of concussions, while in case of other injuries, the substitute could only field or keep wicket.

The replacement player will, however, have to be “like for like”, just like the concussion substitute. However, these cannot be implemented for cricketers suffering “hamstring pulls or niggles”.