Former India chief selector MSK Prasad has shared his opinion on the use of external sources to shine the ball. He has made his voice clear and stated that he doesn’t want any external sources to be used on the ball. Many cricket experts and pundits are debating the future and find ways to substitute sweat and saliva to help the ball swing.
Shining the ball is an integral part of bowlers as it helps them 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 will have to address the same before cricket resumes.
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MSK Prasad said: “Law clearly states that we cannot use external sources to shine the ball which amounts to ball-tampering. If you are trying to propose that you can use external sources to shine the ball, then this is not very much different from using bottlecaps or picking the seam or any other banned objects. Because both these acts are aimed at making alterations to the ball.
“Hence, I am totally against this proposal of using external sources to bring in more shine to the ball. Law also clearly states that we can use only internal sources like sweat and saliva. But there is a discussion that due to the current COVID situation this also should be banned. Pat Cummins expressed his concern and worry about this proposal. I totally endorse the genuine concerns of Pat Cummins,” he added.
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Earlier, Pat Cummins In an interview on the Kolkata Knight Riders website and gave his opinion on the debate. He said: “Things are going to change in all sports and in the way we live around the world, [but] I don’t want them to totally ban shining the ball. I want them to come up with another option because I think it”s a big part of cricket.”
