In 2005, the ICC introduced a "Supersub" rule for ODIs. Teams had to name a 12th player before the toss who could be a full-fledged replacement for anyone in the starting XI. The substitute could bat, bowl, and keep wicket. The idea was to add a new tactical dimension, but it quickly became clear that the team that won the toss had a massive advantage. For instance, if a team batting first put up a big score, they could then replace a batsman with a specialist bowler to defend the total. The rule was so unpopular and unbalanced that it was scrapped after just six months.
In early cricket history, when a player got injured, it wasn't uncommon for a non-playing member of the touring party, or even a local club cricketer or a journalist, to be used as a substitute fielder. This happened in a Test match in 1986, where Bob Taylor, who had retired two years earlier, was called upon to field as an emergency substitute. During the 2005 Ashes series, with the series on the line, England's substitute fielder Gary Pratt came on to replace an injured Simon Jones. Pratt, a county cricketer who was a brilliant fielder, ran out Australian captain Ricky Ponting with a direct hit from cover. The run-out was a huge turning point in the match and the series, and it angered Ponting so much that he famously fumed at the England dressing room on his way off the field.
A substitute fielder is usually not allowed to keep wicket, but in extraordinary circumstances and with the consent of the opposition captain, it has happened. The most recent example of a stumping by a substitute wicket-keeper in a Test match involved K.S. Bharat for India in a Test against New Zealand in 2021. He stumped Tom Latham, even though Bharat had not yet played a Test match himself. A substitute fielder can take a spectacular catch, but it won't be recorded in their career stats. A number of substitute fielders have taken multiple catches in a single match, but those dismissals go down in the team's records, not the individual's. For example, a few players, including Gursharan Singh and Younis Khan, have taken four catches in a Test match as a substitute. From 12th Man to Captain: While a substitute fielder cannot captain the team, many of the world's most famous cricketers and captains served their time as the 12th man, carrying drinks and equipment before they became regulars in the playing XI. It's a rite of passage for many young players.
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