Former Australia captain, Mark Taylor, feels concerned over the game's balance in the aftermath of the saliva-ban imposed by the ICC as an interim health safety measure for bio-secure cricket matches played amid the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic.
It is felt that the bowlers will have their task cut out if they can't traditionally apply saliva on a cricket ball to maintain its shine and batsmen will dominate in Test match cricket.
There isn't any substitute announced as well, with the authorities leaving it entirely on the bowlers to keep the game's competitive nature going.
"I think it is a bit of a concern because I like, particularly in Test matches, to see the ball slightly dominate the bat, it is much better game when Test cricket is played that way," Taylor told Channel 9.
"My concern will be that if the players can’t shine the ball and the ball does get very straight and very predictable we are going to see more and more runs, more and more high scores in Test match cricket."
"And that is not the best Test match cricket. Test cricket is much better when the (average first innings) score is around 300," he added.
So used to licking their fingers, bowlers can be warned twice if they violate the rule, as per the new ICC system, with a further violation resulting in a five-run penalty for the fielding side.
"They have said try and be lenient which I’m sure they will be but eventually one umpire is going to stick his neck out and say ‘that’s a five-run penalty’," said Taylor.
Taylor's ex-teammate, former pacer Jason Gillespie, also pointed out how difficult bowlers will find getting rid of their old habits and adjust to the new norm.
“I think the biggest issue we are going to see is the habits of cricketers and habits of fast bowlers. A bowler walking back to his mark, subconsciously, might just lick his fingers and apply it to the ball because a bowler has done that since he was a kid. It’s just a habit," said Gillespie on Fan Play-Sports Ruler ‘Inside Out With Baggs’ show on YouTube.
"I think that will be the biggest challenge for players… changing those habits that they have got. There are a number of bowlers in the world that actually lick their fingers before they place their hands on the ball at the top of their mark to run in," he added.
(Inputs from PTI)
