[ad_1]
The coronavirus can force the destruction of one of cricket’s most important taboos, as authorities consider allowing the use of artificial substances to help polish the red ball under the supervision of umpires in long games, to end the need for the player to do it with saliva.
It is understood that the problem posed by the use of saliva to polish the ball is among the elements raised by the ICC medical committee that must be addressed before cricket can be resumed, meaning that lateral thinking is required to allow players and teams to continue to find effective ways to shine the ball to help encourage conventional or reverse swing.
Decision makers well understand the need for the ball to be polished to allow for a fair balance in the competition between bat and ball beyond the first innings of an inning. As a consequence, they are open to the option of allowing the use of an agreed artificial substance to polish the ball under the supervision of the officials, in the way that they currently allow the ball to be cleaned by the supervised players. This would effectively allow what is currently considered ball handling, in the interest of health and safety.
ALSO READ: Use saliva on the ball or not, what is the future after the coronavirus?
Such a move would likely require flexibility in terms of the substance depending on the ball being used. Kookaburra, Dukes and SG balls, to name three, are likely to respond better to slightly different substances, such as leather moisturizer, wax, or shoe polish. It would also require a certain degree of flexibility in terms of being allowed at all levels of the game, to prevent players at all levels from sharing a ball that has been caged in the spit.
41.3 The match ball – changing its condition
41.3.1 The referees must carry out frequent and irregular inspections of the ball. In addition, they should immediately inspect the ball if they suspect that someone is trying to change the condition of the ball, except as permitted in 41.3.2.
41.3.2 It is an offense for any player to take any action that changes the condition of the ball. Except in the performance of his normal duties, a batter may not intentionally damage the ball. See also Law 5.5 (Damage to the ball).
A fielder may, however
41.3.2.1 polish the ball in your clothes provided that no artificial substance is used and that such polishing does not waste time.
41.3.2.2 remove the mud from the ball under the supervision of a referee.
41.3.2.3 Dry a wet ball on a cloth that has been approved by the referees.
41.3.3 The officials will consider that the condition of the ball has been unfairly changed if any action by any player does not comply with the conditions in 41.3.2.
When asked about the issue of using saliva to make the ball shine in recent weeks, Australian fast bowlers Pat Cummins and Josh Hazlewood insisted that it would make bowlers’ lives intolerable if they didn’t have a means of polishing the ball to encourage lateral movement in test games.
“I think the cue ball would be fine, [but] Cricket testing would be very difficult, “said Hazlewood.” Bowlers rely on any kind of lateral movement in the air, “he said.” If you didn’t hold the ball at all for 80 overs, it would be pretty easy hitting after that initial glow is gone. Whether you use saliva or sweat, perhaps a person can. I’m not sure. It is something we will have to talk about when we return and hope to find a solution. “
Former Test pacemaker and current coach Jason Gillespie also took advantage of a larger theme for the game: the fact that, while traditional, the use of saliva was not one of the most hygienic elements of cricket. “I don’t think there is anything off the table,” he told ABC Grandstand. “It could be a point where at the end of each recess, the referees allow the players to make the ball shine in front of them, but you can only do it then. I don’t have an answer for that, but it will certainly be a conversation that will take place. If you think about it, it’s pretty gross. “
Despite the obvious stigma of ball handling, there is a hidden history of using artificial substances to help buff or grip the ball, in addition to the recent well-documented use of peppermint or candy sugar in combination with saliva. In the early part of the 20th century, bowlers commonly used resin to help them catch and polish the ball.
As wrist spinning player Arthur Mailey related in his autobiography: “Although it was against the law, I must break and confess that I always had powdered resin in my pocket.” Its use was not explicitly prohibited in cricket in Australia until 1931, and the versatile Monty Noble once commented on English objections that “if they don’t use it, they are very dumb.”
More recently, Dennis Lillee has openly recounted how he used lanolin, a type of wool wax, to help him make the ball shine after applying it to his wool shirts or sweaters. “Most of the fast bowlers used something to help make the ball shine; there’s no question about that,” Lillee wrote in her autobiography, Threat. “I used saliva and sweat from my oily skin and found that if I wore a pure wool sweater containing lanolin and rubbed the ball into the sweater, it really sparkled.”
The two main groups likely to discuss the matter before cricket returns are the ICC Cricket Committee, which will meet by video conference in late May or early June, and also the MCC World Cricket Committee, which canceled its Most recent meeting, scheduled for Colombo in Sri Lanka in late March. The replay checklist will also include broader topics like travel.
“The situation is evolving rapidly and is fraught with significant risks, as there is still much to learn about COVID-19, which can make decision-making difficult. The ICC Medical Committee is working with Member medical representatives to build a complete picture of cricket problems. Front, “said the head of the ICC medical committee, Dr. Peter Harcourt. “Our next step is to create a roadmap for the resumption of international cricket that will include criteria for decision-making and a checklist of what needs to happen. This will consider everything from player preparation to government restrictions and warnings and bio-bubbles. “
