“Cricket in bio-bubble will ensure saliva is not a problem,” says Shaun Pollock

Pollock also hoped that Australia managed to find a way to host the T20 World Cup.

The ICC Cricket Committee recently recommended a ban on the use of saliva to shine the ball but allowed sweat as an interim measure to counter the coronavirus threat. However, former South Africa captain Shaun Pollock thinks saliva usage won’t be a problem if the game is played in a secure bio bubble.

"I think the environment that'll end up being created is almost going to be like a bubble. People will get tested, they'll go into a two-week camp where they're just going to sit and monitor how the conditions of their bodies change," Pollock told the Following On Cricket Podcast.

"And if there are no symptoms, it doesn't really matter about shining the ball then, because you're in the bubble and no one you come into contact with will have coronavirus. So you can just get on with normal proceedings,” he added.

ECB confident of bio-secure arrangements for West Indies Test series

The England and Wales Cricket Board (ECB) has planned to limit the spread of the virus by picking venues with on-site hotels, the mandatory 14-day quarantine period for the visiting team, doing regular check-ups.

"I'd presume that there'd be no crowds in place, every single environment they go into would be cleaned down and sprayed, and everything along those lines," said Pollock, who has played 303 ODIs and 101 Tests for South Africa.

Pollock, 46, also said that Australia is best placed to prepare a bio-secure bubble to host the ICC T20 World Cup 2020. There are speculations of the world cricketing event being postponed due to the pandemic risks.

"I think Australia is probably in the best scenario to create a little bit of a vacuum or bubble where maybe things can happen," he said.

(PTI inputs)