Michael Holding doesn't believe legalising ball-tampering in the post COVID-19 world will be in the best interest of cricket whereas Allan Donald feels that could be pathbreaking in terms of restoring the balance between bat and ball.
The ICC in its recent CEC meeting discussed the possibility of legalising ball-tampering in order to discontinue the traditional practice of using saliva or sweat to maintain the shine of the cricket ball.
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However, it remains unclear as to where the line will be drawn for players as far as the use of the external substance is concerned.
"I have read that ICC is contemplating preventing people from using saliva on the ball due to COVID-19 and allowing them to use foreign substances on the ball to keep the shine on but in front of the umpire. I don't understand the logic behind that," Holding told ESPNCricinfo.
The former West Indies fast bowler asked why the use of saliva is being thought as dangerous when the sport will anyway resume after the world would've fully overcome the deadly outbreak.
"Before they got to that point they said if they restart cricket it has to be played in a bio-secure environment," said Holding. "They were saying cricketers, for instance, would have to isolate themselves for two weeks to make sure that everything was fine for when they got to the venue before the match started. And everyone involved (with the match) will have to do the same thing."
"Now, if you are saying everyone is in the bio-secure environment, you are staying in the same hotel, you are not moving for the length of time you are playing the matches, if that is the case why are you worried about someone's saliva?" asked one of the most respected voices of cricket.
"That person according to what you are doing should be free of Covid-19. If the ICC thinks that the two-week period to prove that you are free of Covid-19 is not foolproof, then that means you are putting everyone in that environment in jeopardy?"
"Why would you want to play cricket under those circumstances? It's either safe or it's not. No guessing, please."
Pakistan great Waqar Younis also disapproved the proposal to ban the use of saliva. "As a fast bowler, I reject this because this (using saliva and sweat) is a natural process," he said. "A ball exchanges hands all day, you run in, huffing and puffing, you sweat and using saliva is natural rather than on intent. It's a habit and you just can't control this aspect."
"I don't know how this discussion came up but I feel people who want the game to be played are frustrated with the lockdown. They are overthinking about it. I doubt this new idea of using (artificial) substance instead of saliva is a solution."
"You can make a bowler use a predefined substance on the ball, but at the same time practically it's not possible to prevent a bowler using his sweat or saliva," Waqar added.
Unlike Holding and Waqar, however, Donald is quite to open to the idea.
"I absolutely agree with legalising ball-tampering. I said so in an article sometime in the 2000s," said the former South Africa pacer. "It happens anyway, we see guys throwing the ball on the ground and umpires say to throw it up and it's pretty obvious what they are doing. It could work if it is well-monitored."
(Inputs from PTI)
