Safety is paramount as international cricket is set to resume with the England-West Indies Test series on July 8 after COVID-19 hiatus. Therefore, ICC has banned the traditional practice of applying saliva on the ball to maintain its shine.
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Sharing his two cents on the recent developments, former India pacer Ajit Agarkar said saliva-ban is a "safe option" under current circumstances but he also highlighted its significance, saying saliva is as important for bowlers as bat for a batsman.
Speaking to PTI, Agarkar further urged the custodians of the game to be flexible if players test negative before the start of a game.
"My only contention is that players who will play, will eventually be tested before the game starts. If they are found to be COVID-19 negative then I can at least consider that it will be then safe to put saliva on the ball," Agarkar said.
"This is my opinion and probably someone from the medical field can give us a broader view on the subject," he added.
The 42-year-old is aware that ICC's Cricket and Medical committee, in prevailing situation, didn't have an option but to impose the ban.
"It is very important to shine the ball and there are no two ways about it but it's a difficult one for the committees (referring to ICC Cricket and Medical Committee) as well to straightway after resumption say, 'ok you can use (saliva) it.
"Obviously, they have taken a safe approach and in current situation it is understandable. But we will have to wait and see once England series is underway. It's not going to be easy for the bowlers. But we will have to wait," said Agarkar, who has 349 international wickets in his kitty.
The apex body hasn’t allowed the use of artificial substances as a substitute move. No wonder, Agarkar believes saliva-ban will be a huge handicap for pacers and seamers.
"If you ask any bowler, everyone will be a bit apprehensive. In recent times, though the pitches have been quite helpful for bowlers which lends a little bit more balance but overall if you see, batsmen do dominate world cricket at the moment," he said. "If you are taking away the saliva bit, which basically is as important as the bat as is to a batsman, it will certainly become tough for bowlers. But we will have to wait and see how it pans out in match situation."
Agarkar, who represented India in 26 Tests and 191 ODIs, said he will be keenly watching the England-West Indies series which is due to be played in a 'bio-secure' environment.
"We will get an idea during the upcoming England series, as everyone is faced with a situation that no one has every experienced with this pandemic," he concluded.
(With PTI inputs)
