Cricket Faces Conundrum On Shining The Ball, Says Jason Gillespie
Shining the ball with saliva or sweat – One of cricket’s oldest practices is under the scanner in the wake of the coronavirus pandemic. One of the ways in which the disease spreads is via respiratory droplets. As a result, the ICC may have to look into the matter of players shining the ball using sweat or saliva whenever cricket resumes.
The governing body of the game may be forced to stop players from shining the ball using their sweat and saliva after the resumption of cricket post the coronavirus crisis. The World Health Organisation (WHO) states that Covid-19 is a virus which “spreads primarily through droplets of saliva or discharge from the nose when an infected person coughs or sneezes” and this is why cricketers may be at a huge risk of contracting the disease even after the resumption of the sport.
Shining the ball with saliva or sweat is an integral part of the game. Cricketers are often seen shining the ball by either spitting on it or rubbing their fingers on the tongue and then on the ball or even using their sweat.
While only time will tell how things turn out in coming days, former Australia pacer Jason Gillespie has stated that players may have to shine the ball in front of the umpires from now on.
“I don’t think it’s a quirky question. It’s an actual genuine thing to be considered. I don’t think anything is off the table. It could be a point where at the end of each over, the umpires allow the players to shine the ball in front of them but you can only do it then,” Jason Gillespie told ABC Grandstand.
“I don’t know. Is it just sweat? Can you only use sweat?. I don’t have an answer to that but it certainly will be a conversation that will be had. If you think about it, it is pretty gross,” he added.
Previously, Australia fast bowler Pat Cummins had his say on the matter. The right-arm pacer revealed that the issue was discussed during their recent ODI series against New Zealand at home which was suspended after the first game due to the coronavirus outbreak.
“It’s a tough one. If it’s at that stage where we’re that worried about spread … I’m not sure we’d be playing sport and bringing ourselves out of isolation,” Cummins said earlier this month.
“The one-dayer (series vs NZ), we made it clear we’re obviously really keen to play, but … the way we shined the ball didn’t change. Obviously different with red ball. As a bowler I think it would be pretty tough going if we couldn’t shine the ball in a Test,” he added.
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Jason Gillespie
