James Anderson, the Lancashire captain and England's all-time leading wicket-taker, has branded the County Championship's injury replacement rules as "daft" and "nonsensical" after his team faced two confusing decisions in consecutive weeks.

The season-long trial allows teams to bring in replacements for players sidelined by injury, illness, or significant life events. But for Lancashire, the system has felt more like a hindrance than a help.

In their victory over Gloucestershire, seamer Tom Bailey was deemed too experienced to replace fellow paceman Ajeet Singh Dale, forcing Lancashire to draft in Ollie Sutton from a second XI fixture. The following week, the same logic denied spin-bowling all-rounder Arav Shetty a like-for-like replacement in Tom Hartley. Instead, wicketkeeper George Bell—who bowls only occasional spin—stepped in.

"I don't know what the protocols are," Anderson said on his Tailenders podcast. "I think they just check Cricinfo and the stats to see if the averages are better."

Replacements must be approved by the match referee—Peter Such at Bristol and Ian Ramage at Chester-le-Street—but Anderson feels the process lacks clarity. "Arav Shetty had really badly broken his thumb in three places, and we were told we couldn't replace him with Tom Hartley because he's too experienced. It seems daft. Surely the whole reason the replacement thing has been brought in is for situations like that."

The England and Wales Cricket Board (ECB) has acknowledged the trial is a work in progress. After the current block of County Championship fixtures—each team has two more games before the T20 Blast break—match referees will gather feedback from directors of cricket at all 18 counties. The ECB wrote to clubs this week confirming the consultation, stressing that the rules are designed to evolve as they are applied.

For a sport built on tradition, the substitution protocols aren't new, but their inconsistent application has left one of England's greatest ever bowlers scratching his head. "It just feels a bit nonsensical," Anderson added—a sentiment many fans will share as the trial continues. For now, Lancashire will hope the next replacement request is a little more straightforward.