With a recent appeal to the International Cricket Council (ICC), Indian pacer Mohammed Shami has made a call for the ban on the use of saliva to polish the cricket ball to be removed.
This ban, initially introduced in May 2020 during the COVID-19 pandemic, has now become permanent as of September 2022. Shami, alongside other prominent cricketers like Tim Southee and Vernon Philander, believes that the reintroduction of saliva could help revive the lost art of reverse swing and provide a fairer contest between bat and ball, particularly in conditions favorable to batting.
The Impact of the Saliva Ban
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The use of saliva was banned by the ICC to limit the spread of COVID-19, as there were concerns that applying saliva to the ball could transmit the virus. The ban was initially temporary but became permanent in 2022. The game has ever since experienced a decline in the effectiveness of reverse swing, a major ability of fast bowlers.
Shami, in his appeal, highlighted that the lack of saliva has hindered bowlers’ ability to generate reverse swing, a critical component of fast bowling, especially in limited-overs cricket. After India’s four-wicket win over Australia in the Champions Trophy semi-final, Shami emphasized that the use of saliva would make the game more interesting and challenging for batsmen, allowing bowlers to gain the advantage in certain conditions.
Mohammed Shami’s Appeal for Reconsideration
Talking to the media after the semi-final win, Shami voiced his frustration at the situation, stating, “We are trying to get reverse swing, but saliva on the ball is not permitted. We are always asking that we should be permitted to use saliva so that the game can be made interesting.” His sentiments were echoed by several other cricketers who shared their opinion about the effect the saliva ban has had on the game.
Endorsement by Other Players on Saliva ban
Shami’s appeal for the reinstatement of the application of saliva has been supported by some eminent cricketers like Tim Southee and Vernon Philander, both of whom have explained the importance of reverse swing in cricket, especially on batting-orientated pitches.
Tim Southee, in an interview, described his position on the matter: “This regulation was brought in considering the safety of the Corona pandemic, but as a bowler, I feel you certainly want to have a little bit of an advantage.
We are watching such games where the team is making 362 runs; in my view, there needs to be something for the bowlers also.” Southee continued to bemoan the fact that saliva is still prohibited when it serves the purpose of evening out the game between bat and ball.
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Vernon Philander, the ex-South African bowler, also had his say, describing how the absence of saliva impacted the game during South Africa’s semi-final match against New Zealand.
“If we discuss the state of the ball, it was worn at the back. So I think if saliva was applied (to polish the ball) then reverse swing could have been beneficial,” he stated. Philander feels that the lack of reverse swing in the latter half of the innings, particularly on a flat pitch, made it tough for the bowlers to contain the batting fury.
Philander went on to say, “I would love to see it return to the game because it is required. Particularly in ODI cricket where we notice the batting being dominated, especially on pitches such as we experienced in Pakistan, which are bat-friendly.”
The Advantages of Saliva Over Sweat
One of the main reasons for the reintroduction of saliva is that it provides greater control and efficiency in ball shining than sweat, which tends to be unpredictable. In hot weather, sweat has a tendency to wet the ball on both sides, which can create inconsistencies in the way it plays. Saliva, however, offers a more controlled way of shining the ball without the possibility of over-wetting it.
Philander described how, in his playing career with the South African side, they would attempt to keep the ball as dry as possible. He said that once sweat finds its way onto the ball, it makes both sides of the ball sticky, making it hard to get the swing. “Saliva was the best means of shining the ball, so I would like to see it brought back into the game,” he added. He also mentioned the difficulties of using sweat properly, especially when players are sweating a lot, making it difficult to gauge how much to apply to the ball.
A Change Called For In Both ODIs and Test Cricket
The question of saliva and swing is not only applicable to One-Day Internationals (ODIs) but also to Test cricket. Saurabh Saud, a high-profile voice in cricket, further opined that saliva has a key role to play in Test cricket as well. He went on to say, “In white-ball cricket, the ball swings early, but in Test cricket, the ball swings late too. In most of the world, sweat might be limited, but you can introduce saliva in other forms too.”
He also feels that saliva is particularly useful in red-ball cricket, where the length of the game makes it important that bowlers can produce reverse swing towards the end of the innings. “I believe saliva is more useful in red-ball cricket than in white-ball cricket,” Saud concluded.
The appeal to end the saliva ban has received much backing from major figures in the world of cricket, such as Mohammed Shami, Tim Southee, and Vernon Philander, who all feel that reverse swing is a vital component of the game missing at the moment because of the ban. Although the original ban was implemented for health and safety purposes during the COVID-19 pandemic, most cricketers believe that the time has come to reverse the decision.
The return of saliva would bring balance between bat and ball, particularly on batting-friendly pitches, and make the game more competitive. With the controversy still raging, the ICC could be forced to consider the advantages of bringing in saliva against the health guidelines originally established.
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