With the International Cricket Council (ICC) temporarily banning the use of saliva amid the COVID-19 outbreak, Sachin Tendulkar has suggested an alternative to spit for shining the cricket ball in order to help the fast bowlers on flat or unresponsive pitches especially in Test cricket.
Cricketers will have to adjust to new playing conditions and rules for the players and other staff’s safety in a wake of the global outbreak of Coronavirus when the international games resume after three-month COVID-19-forced hiatus and saliva ban is one of the most challenging ones.
Read Also: Sachin Tendulkar questions how bowlers will use sweat in cooler climes with saliva banned
Over the years, the fast bowlers are used to swing the ball in the air by shining one side with saliva or sweat, though the ICC allowed the sweat which is considered less effective.
During an interaction with former Australia pacer Brett Lee on Tendulkar’s 100 MB app, the cricket legend said that using only sweat could pose major challenges for the bowlers and fielding team.
Explaining the challenges the saliva-ban could pose to add pressure on bowlers, Tendulkar has proposed the introduction of a second new ball in Tests after every ’50 or 55′ overs to strike the balance between bat and ball in the game when cricket return to action in the COVID Era.
Read Also: ICC bans saliva use, approves COVID-19 substitutes in Tests and additional DRS review
Tendulkar said during the chat, “In Test cricket, suddenly if the surfaces are not good, the standard of playing I feel drops down. And above all the game slows down because, the batters know if I don’t play a stupid shot here, no one can get me out and the bowler knows, on this surface I have to be patient,”
The legendary batsman further added, “But why not then to get the game moving, have a new ball after every 45-50 or 55 overs because in ODI cricket we have to play only 50 overs, and you have two new balls there, so literally 25 overs, so that’s it.”
Compared his suggestion to day-night ODI cricket, Tendulkar said: “So here in Test cricket, if you are not going to allow saliva, and sometimes you won’t sweat as much depending on the climate where you are playing, it could be a lot like day/night one-dayers.”
The batting maestro signed off by saying, “In ODI cricket, bowling when conditions are dry in the day-night match and bowling second when there is a lot of dew on the ground, so on paper the conditions and rules are exactly the same, but on field, conditions are totally different, it’s chalk and cheese.”
(With PTI Inputs)
