Elliott had entered the day with tightness in his left hamstring but was able to bat during the third day and make 13 in an important 31-run stand with Fergus O’Neill as Victoria compiled 261 and take a vital first-innings lead of 63.
But Elliott felt his hamstring go while warming up to bowl ahead of South Australia’s second innings and was visibly distraught in a brief chat with Victoria coach Chris Rogers. Victoria subbed him out and called in a fresh Perry who then trapped SA’s captain, and one of their best batters, Nathan McSweeney, lbw to leave the visitors 35 for 3 and well behind in the game. They would eventually slump to 94 for 5 with a lead of just 31 by stumps.
Harris was typically honest after play in his assessment of the rule but did not blame anyone for the position SA were in. “It’s always frustrating when it’s against you,” Harris said. “It’s a s*** rule unless you make the most of it. In saying that we could do the same. We’re allowed to do the same until the end of play.
“Is it the right rule? It has been in all year, so it’s not as if it’s just coming in for this game. It is what it is. We know the rule coming into the final. We know the rule all year. It’s only been used couple of times, but it’s ideally not used in a final, but it is. It’s the rule, so it’s allowed to be.”
CA designed the rule to allow for the opposition to make a tactical like-for-like bowling sub before the close of day three. Only one team has used the tactical sub all season as a response to an injury sub. That has been designed to mitigate any perceived advantage that might occur when the team suffering an injury gets a fresh player.
“It is what it is. Whether it’s right? That’s not for me to say. It’s something they’re obviously trialling. On the flip side of that you never really want to play with ten men either. So maybe it does work. I’m sure we’ll sit down at the end of the year and get consulted about that and have a bit of a chat about that. But no issues today with what happened”
Ryan Harris
SA had the option of replacing one of their quicks with a fresh Wes Agar before stumps but opted not to do so.
“We thought about it,” Harris said. “I’m pretty happy the way the boys bowled. Can we bring a fresh bowler in? Wes hasn’t played a game for a while. We probably took a bit of a gamble, picking him [in the squad]. Our boys are feeling good and they bowled well, so I’m not going to go and just pot someone and say move over for someone, just because we think it’s right.”
Victoria have had mixed feelings internally about the rule all season but it worked out in their favour on day three when they took a commanding position in the game. It was an even more significant stroke of luck for Perry who had been left out for Elliott ahead of the final in what Rogers termed the toughest decision of his coaching career.
Perry said he was not aware he was going to be subbed in until the end of the innings break. “They were giving him the best chance to obviously continue the game and play on for the rest of the game,” he said. “It all happened pretty quickly after that. He tried to bowl and I think he was no good. I was literally walking out of the rooms and getting ready to catch some balls to just practice my fielding. [Rogers] said, ‘I think you’re going now, mate’. So I was like, ‘oh, wow’. It’s a bit of a shock to the system.”
It led to quite farcical scenes while Perry warmed up in the nets. Victoria sent assistant coach Ben Rohrer out to field, as he had done in a game against Tasmania when they needed extra substitutes, with 13th man Blake Macdonald playing a premier cricket final. The umpires sent Rohrer off, stating that a coach could not field if squad members were present. Victoria then called on contracted uncapped wicketkeeper Jai Lemire to field before calling contracted fast bowler Xavier Crone from the commentary box where he was working on the TV broadcast for Cricket Australia.
Perry eventually came on and took a wicket with his first ball. He was, unsurprisingly, a fan of the rule. “Obviously it gives the chance if guys go down early in the game to bring a fresh bowler in and then you’re not sort of hindered by that,” Perry said. “So I think it’s a good rule, and it should stick in first-class cricket and maybe even potentially Test cricket.”
Harris, a veteran of 27 Tests for Australia having taken 113 wickets at 23.52, was less sure. “I’m an old fashioned Test cricketer,” Harris said. “You get injured and you’re a bowler down then you’re a bowler down.
“It is what it is. Whether it’s right? That’s not for me to say. It’s something they’re obviously trialling. On the flip side of that you never really want to play with ten men either. So maybe it does work. I’m sure we’ll sit down at the end of the year and get consulted about that and have a bit of a chat about that. But no issues today with what happened.”
Alex Malcolm is an associate editor at ESPNcricinfo
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