Indian batting legend Sachin Tendulkar feels Sri Lanka’s ace pacer Lasith Malinga may have to bring a slight change in his bowling action bearing in mind the new ICC rules for the resumption of cricket amid the COVID-19 pandemic.

Widely regarded as one of the greatest fast bowlers of all time in white-ball cricket, Malinga has this habit of kissing the ball at the start of his run-up.

As the apex body has already imposed ban on the practice of saliva to shine the ball, it is likely that Malinga will also have to change his run-up routine which is what Tendulkar pointed out.

See Also: "The game will change for sure", Sachin Tendulkar speaks on saliva-ban 

"A certain someone will have to also change his run-up routine with the new @icc rules! What say Mali? #LasithMalinga," Tendulkar tweeted on Tuesday (June 23) along with a picture of Malinga kissing the ball at the start of his run-up.

Notably, the International Cricket Council hasn’t allowed the use of artificial substances as a substitute move to saliva. But players can use their sweat, which carries less risk of virus transmission, to polish the cricket ball.

Last month, the ICC came up with multiple recommendations for its member nations on how they can safely resume training and on-field play in the near future, including a 14-day pre-match isolation camp to ensure teams are free of the deadly virus.

Regular hand sanitising when in contact with the ball, no loo or shower breaks while training, minimising time spent in the changing room before and after a game and no handing over of personal items (cap, sunglasses, towels) to fellow teammates or the on-field umpires are among the other guidelines issued.

All the aforementioned rules will come into effect from the England-West Indies Test series, starting July 8.