DUBAI: Indian pacer Mohammed Shami’s call to remove the ban on saliva so that fast bowlers can generate reverse swing again, has found many takers. Shami’s appeal finds resonance among experts as there is a feeling to restore some sort of a level-playing field.
Former India fast bowler and ex-national selector Salil Ankola told TOI: “They should do away with this ban now. I completely second Shami on that. You have got everything going for the batters, at least something should be there for the bowlers too.” Ankola, who played 20 ODIs for India, mentioned how this ban remains on most bowlers’ minds.
“I was talking about it while commentating in the Ranji Trophy finals recently. The use of saliva to shine the ball has been going on for a century! It was not even banned in 1920, when a pandemic struck! Covid is over now. It’s time to do away with it,” he said.
While they had first imposed the ban on using saliva to polish the ball in May 2020 during the Covid-19 pandemic, in September 2022, the ICC made the ban permanent.
Shami’s appeal to the game’s authorities has been also backed by two former international bowlers in South Africa’s Vernon Philander and New Zealand’s Tim Southee, who feel that allowing bowlers to use saliva will give a rebirth to reverse swing, currently missing from the game, especially on flat surfaces, on which most of One-day cricket is played on these days.
“I think as a bowler, you want to have a slight advantage. We see the game going the way it’s going and seeing sides score 362 (New Zealand’s semifinal total against South Africa) and often, over 300 in this format. I think there needs to be something in the bowlers’ favour, and whether that’s a little bit of saliva. I don’t see why they couldn’t afford to get that back in,” Southee said on ESPNcricinfo’s Match Day.
Philander said, “If we look at the state of that ball, towards the back end, it was really scuffed up. And I think had you used the saliva (to polish one side of the ball), the element of the reverse swing might have come into play.”
‘Need to be cautious while lifting ban’
However, there was a voice of caution too.
“While I think that Shami has made a very valid call, we need to have a harder look at this issue before arriving at a decision,” former India pacer Venkatesh Prasad said.
“The ban on applying saliva on the ball was also about maintaining cleanliness. Anything can happen today, we don’t know how many and when a new virus enters the air. So, I think you need to be very careful in making a decision about lifting the ban.”
