'No saliva' rule will be hard to accept: Brett Lee
The ICC Cricket Committee recently recommended restricting the use of saliva on the ball, thereby putting an end to a number of speculations. Former Australian seamer Brett Lee and South African batsman Faf du Plessis shared their views on the potential change. They believe the bowlers will find it difficult to deal with this restriction. Here is more.
Recommendations of Anil Kumble-led committee
Previously, the International Cricket Council (ICC) committee had prohibited the use of saliva on the ball in order to safeguard players' health. The members of Anil Kumble-led ICC panel unanimously agreed that traditional method of shining the ball must be redundant. However, there is no restriction on the use of body sweat. Notably, the committee has barred any external substance for polishing the ball.
'There may be warnings from the ICC', says Lee
"When you have done something your whole life where you lick your fingers and you put on the ball, it's very hard to change that overnight. I think there's going to be some leniency from the ICC, where there may be warnings," said Lee.
Faf du Plessis' take on the recommendations
Faf du Plessis quoted the example of former Australian skipper Ricky Ponting. "For the fielders, it's the same. I'm used to taking a bit of spit on my fingers before I catch the ball at slip," he said. He added, "If you look at someone like Ricky Ponting, he has a big spit on his hands every time he tried to catch a ball."
ICC's guidelines for resumption of cricket
ICC recently released a set comprehensive guidelines for resumption of cricket at all levels. The guidelines also state that players can not use saliva to shine the ball. They shall also regularly rinse their hands with sanitizers after touching the ball.
