Who gets him
If the teams are uneven, he goes to the short side and the problem fixes itself. If they're even, grounds get creative. A lot of them give him to whichever team is losing, which sounds generous until you notice it also means the winning team never has to bowl to him.
- Some grounds make the latecomer bat last as a fine for being late.
- Some make him field the next over before he's allowed to do anything else.
- Some flip a coin. That at least ends the conversation.
What it does to a chase
The target doesn't move, because the target is runs. What changes is wickets in hand. Add a batter to the chasing side and they've got one more life, which in a tight finish is worth more than a couple of wides. If that feels unfair, send him to the fielding side instead.
| He joins | What changes |
|---|---|
| The batting side | One more wicket to lose. Target unchanged. |
| The fielding side | One more bowler and fielder. Bats next innings. |
| The side that's already batted | Fields now, nothing else. |
Leaving early is the mirror image. See switching players mid-match for moving or removing someone once the game's on.
