However, since 2011, the International Cricket Council (ICC) has permanently prohibited hitters from being allowed a runner. This regulation, if still in place today, could have been extremely useful to someone like Rishabh Pant, who had to bat with a damaged toe yet was unable to take many runs for obvious reasons. A similar event occurred at the 2023 World Cup, when Glenn Maxwell batted with one foot in excruciating pain.

Previously, wounded hitters could continue to bat but were allowed to have a runner. This rule provided a significant benefit to hitters who experienced pulls, stretches, and severe discomfort while running for a variety of reasons. As a result, it has been nothing short of a blessing for all cricketers, and it has occasionally spared a team from losing a game that would otherwise have ended in defeat.

Why can’t hitters use a runner anymore?

The ICC held a thorough discussion at its Annual General Meeting in 2011, after which the body decided to abolish the runner’s rule due to numerous irregularities, while on-field umpires found it difficult to determine whether the batter at the crease actually required a runner or abused the regulation for unfair advantage.

“The cricket committee has considered it. There has been a strong sense that runners were not employed in the proper spirit. It’s tough for umpires to judge whether there was a genuine injury to batsmen or whether runners were used tactically,” said then-ICC chief Haroon Lorgat in 2011.

“If a bowler gets injured you can’t continue bowling for the rest of the day and the feeling was that it would be better to not allow the use of runners because there has been abuse in the past,” Lorgat added at the time.

Conclusion

The governing body had to mull their heads on the rule, as the opposition captains had to be consulted before asking for a runner. This came as a huge barrier in the smooth implementation of allowing a runner when the then England captain Andrew Strauss had refused South Africa batter Graeme Smith a runner despite cramps during the 2009 Champions Trophy encounter. The ICC found this to be a massive hurdle in conduct of cricket in its truest spirit, and hence, batters had to either walk off the field or bat without any assistance on the pitch side.

To conclude, it may be said that ICC actually made the right call, which did not provide any undue benefits to the batters, while bowlers had to be ruled out of the match even with injuries. As a result, keeping the fairness of play as a paramount, the apex cricketing body put an end to the rule, which was once looked at as a general regulation by teams and fans.