Flashback: The first substitute to keep wickets in a Test

A substitute is a replacement player who is allowed to take the field in place of the original player when he gets injured or ill. A substitute acts for the injured or ill cricketer on the field. Former English cricketer Arthur Jones was the first ever substitute who kept wickets in a Test match.

Former England player late Arthur Jones became the first-ever substitute to keep wickets in a Test match. He did so against arch-rivals Australia in the fifth and final match of the Ashes series in 1905. He replaced the original wicketkeeper Dick Lilley and took the gloves from him.

With a lead of 2-0 and having already sealed the series, England batted first in the last game at The Oval in London in August that year. The hosts posted a big total of 430 in their first innings. Australia replied with a score of 363 in their first innings.

Jones caught Warwick Armstrong off the bowling of George Hirst for 18. With a lead of 67 runs, the home side declared their innings for 261/6 in their second innings, setting a target of 328 for the team from down under. The visitors reached 124/4 with the game drawn at the end. England won the series by a margin of 2-0. Jones took only a solitary catch in the entire clash.

Born on August 16, 1872, in Shelton in Nottinghamshire, United Kingdom, Arthur played 12 Test matches for England and scored just 291 runs at an average of 13.85 with zero hundred and zero fifties and the highest score of 34. Jones appeared in 472 First-Class matches and scored 22935 runs at an average of 31.54 with 34 centuries and 117 half-centuries with the best score of 296.

With the ball in hand, leg break bowler Jones snared 333 scalps at an average of 32.81 and a strike rate of 54.4 with the best bowling figures of 8/71. Eight times he took a five-wicket haul in FC games. On December 21, 1914, Arthur passed away in Bedfordshire aged just 42y 127d.