Perspiration from arm or forehead will do the same job as saliva, feels Michael Holding

After the suggestions of ICC Cricket Committee, saliva has been temporarily banned until some sort of Coronavirus vaccine is out. The ICC has, in turn, allowed the players to use the body sweat to get the ball to swing. Many players have verbally objected to the move as they fear it would make the sport more batsman-friendly but Holding doesn’t buy that idea.

"First of all, I don't think this saliva ban is a serious problem. The problem with this ban is that the cricketers will take sometime to adjust. It's a natural reaction when you are on the field and you want to shine the ball, you use saliva. All you need to do is to get moisture on the ball and you can get that from your sweat. You don't have to use the usual saliva,” Holding said in an Instagram Live with Nikhil Naz.

"The perspiration from your arm or your forehead will do the same job as saliva. And I've not heard anyone say that COVID-19 can be spread by perspiration. I don't think there is any practical problem in banning saliva. It's just a logistical problem of people being accustomed to do it and will have to practice not doing it.”

Anil Kumble, the head of the ICC Cricket Committee, along with many other pacers have recently suggested that cricket should utilise pitches to ensure an even contest between the bat and ball. Holding, however, stated that some groundsmen might not be good enough to do that, which will create a disturbing situation and spoiled matches.

"I don't believe in interfering with pitches. Some groundsmen might not be good enough to do exactly what is required and then the match gets spoiled. So, I will just leave the pitch and try to coach players to stop putting their fingers in their mouth," the legendary pacer added.