Australian manufacturer Kookaburra has revealed that they will soon be ready with a wax applicator that can get the ball to shine. They feel their product can shine the ball just like the traditional way. Kookaburra has developed this technology as an alternative option to saliva and sweat to polish the cricket balls.
Shining the ball is an integral part of Test cricket. It helps the bowlers to swing the ball both ways. It is a traditional practice for the bowlers to use saliva to shine the ball. However, the practice is unsafe now as the CoronaVirus spreads through the medium of spits and droplets. Therefore, the ICC’s medical committee has raised the issue of saliva being unsafe. They have decided to address the same before cricket resumes.
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Group managing director of Kookaburra, Brett Elliott, said, “Kookaburra’s research and development center in Australia has been working on a product to replace the traditional methods of polishing a ball that could be controlled and managed by the match umpire. We have developed a unique wax formula for polishing a cricket ball.”
Elliot later went ahead and explained the use of Kookaburra’s new invention and how it will substitute the traditional method.
“The pocket-size sponge applicator would enable umpires or players to apply a thin layer of wax which could then be rubbed and polished in a traditional manner to enhance the shine on the ball,” said Elliot.
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Elliott also shared how they need to rest the product in match conditions which can only be done when international cricket resumes. He is also confident that Kookaburra will deliver the product in over a month.
“This could be available within a month. However, it has been tested in match conditions as the ability to complete real trial matches at the moment is inhibited. It may not be something we need to take forever. It’s designed to get cricket back and give administrators time to make decisions. Nobody was calling out for this 12 months ago so maybe it is more of an interim measure,” he said.
