Ban on saliva use for cricket only temporary: ICC

MUMBAI • A recommendation banning the use of saliva to shine a cricket ball when the sport resumes after the coronavirus shutdown is only a stopgap measure, the chairman of the International Cricket Council's (ICC) Cricket Committee has said.

Cricketers have used the age-old method of shining one side of the ball with a combination of saliva and sweat to help bowlers generate more movement in the air as it travels towards the batsman.

However, as part of efforts aimed at minimising the risk of spreading Covid-19 - which occurs via respiratory droplets - the governing body has recommended a ban on the use of spit.

But former India legend Anil Kumble has admitted shining is an intrinsic part of the sport and will return - if and when the threat of the disease subsides.

He told Star Sports' Cricket Connected TV programme: "We have been very critical and we have been very focused on eliminating any external substances coming into the game. As long as we hopefully have control over Covid-19 in a few months or a year's time, things will go back to as normal as it can be."

The proposal to outlaw spit remains a polarising one, with Australia pace bowler Josh Hazlewood saying it would difficult to police such a ban, while compatriot Pat Cummins has also called on the game's lawmakers to sanction the use of an artificial substance that can work as well as spit.

REUTERS