Younis Khan, legendary Test batsman and newly appointed batting coach of the Pakistan cricket team for England tour, has reacted to the International Cricket Council’s decision to ban the usage of saliva to polish the cricket ball when cricket resumes in the wake of the Coronavirus pandemic.
Earlier this week, the ICC has announced interim regulation changes for the cricket in order to avoid the COVID-19 threat on the field, but it was the ban on saliva because of the danger of Coronavirus spread that has gathered a lot of mixed response from cricketers and former players.
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The ICC has said that the umpires will initially be lenient toward teams during an initial period of adjustment if a player applies saliva to the ball during matches and then have to clean the ball before play restarts, but if they repeated use of saliva, the batting side will receive a five-run penalty.
Well, former Pakistan captain Khan has also expressed his opinion on it, saying it will be difficult for the players to avoid the saliva which would not only be challenging for bowlers but also coaches and umpires to make them strictly follow the ICC’s new regulations amid the COVID-19 pandemic.
Younis said during a video conference organized by the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) on Wednesday (June 10): “It will be difficult for players who have got used to shining the ball using saliva.”
He further added, “Players at times act instinctively, but as supporting staff, we have an important role. It’s a challenge for me too, because we don’t have much time between now and England.”
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Meanwhile, Younis will not have enough time to do his coaching work with the Pakistan batters as the PCB has already canceled his training due to the COVID-19 outbreak in the country and asked England to arrange their early arrival in July so that they can prepare enough before first Test, likely to start from 5 August.
He said on the same, “I don’t want to make excuses by saying I don’t have enough time, but these are unusual times. Even if you are to engage with players, you need to keep your distance from them and continue to follow protocols. I want to try and get my experience across to the players and for them to be able to benefit from it in the short time we have between now and the England tour. Where there’s a will, a lot can be achieved in a very short span of time.”
The legendary batsman has also insisted that his arrival would not confuse the batsman as there wasn’t a regular batting coach for the Pakistan team and Head coach Misbah-ul-Haq had been working with them.
Younis signed off by saying, “What is important is I don’t want the players to become double-minded or end up giving them conflicting instructions. In the Pakistan batting lineup, Azhar Ali or Asad Shafiq aside, you see a very young team. It wouldn’t help if we confused or overcoached them, and I wouldn’t want to contradict what Misbah has taught them. I’d rather work within what Misbah’s style is and work accordingly.”
(With AP Inputs)
