The usage of artificial substances to polish the cricket ball, which effectively means ball-tampering, could be considered for legalisation when the game resumes after the Covid-19 pandemic that has made bowlers wary of applying saliva on the red cherry.
‘ESPNCricinfo’ reported that administrators are “open to the option of allowing for the use of an agreed artificial substance to polish the ball under the supervision of the umpires”, which amounts to ball-tampering as per the current rules governing the sport.
The matter of saliva being unsafe was raised by the ICC’s medical committee and it would be addressed before cricket resumes. All sports activities have come to a halt after the coronavirus outbreak.
Shining the ball is an integral part of Test cricket as it helps the bowlers swing the ball, both conventional and reverse.
If the move gets the go-ahead, it would be quite ironic for the game’s administrators after the 2018 ball-tampering controversy which led to one-year bans on Steve Smith and David Warner for conspiring to use sandpaper to alter the ball.
Following the chief executives meeting of the ICC on Thursday, its medical committee, headed by Peter Harcourt, had issued an update.
“Our next step is to create a roadmap for the resumption of international cricket which will include criteria for decision making and a checklist for what needs to happen.
“This will consider everything from player preparation to government restrictions and advisories and bio-bubbles. The scale and complexity of getting cricket started again cannot be underestimated particularly with respect to a global event,” Harcourt said.
