Bowlers should wear masks to avoid instinctive use of saliva, opines Misbah-ul-Haq
Misbah admitted that saliva ban could affect bowlers majorly
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Pakistan head coach and chief selector Misbah-ul-Haq has opined that bowlers should be wearing maks, after the resumption of cricket, to avoid instinctive use of saliva for ball shining. Earlier this month, the ICC Cricket Committee recommended the ban of saliva to control the spread of the virus.
In light of the COVID-19 pandemic, the ICC considered some changes that could be implemented once cricket resumes. One of these changes would directly affect the bowlers as a saliva ban was recommended by the ICC Cricket Committee headed by Anil Kumble. The former India cricketer, last week, revealed that they are considering sweat as a possible replacement for saliva on an interim basis. In this regard, Pakistan head coach Misbah-ul-Haq suggested that bowlers should be using masks to avoid applying saliva on the ball "instinctively". The chief selector of PCB also admitted that his players will find it hard to adapt in English conditions during their tour in August.
"It is not going to be easy at all (bowling without applying saliva). This is a habit players have developed since the start of their cricket. Even if a player keeps in mind the new restrictions somewhere he might act instinctively. We might have to do something to prevent this. Like making bowlers wear a mask or some other restrictive protection so that they don't use saliva instinctively,” Misbah said in an interview to YouTube Cricket Channel 'Cricket Baaz'.
"Our bowlers could find it difficult in English conditions. Because they regularly use saliva to shine one side of the ball to get it to swing more. You can shine the ball through other legal methods but using saliva ensures one side of the ball has weight and this is very helpful to the pace bowlers," Misbah added.
Besides, the ICC recommended a list of "back to cricket" guidelines which includes a 14-day pre-match isolation training camps to ensure the teams are free from infection. Other guidelines include regular hand sanitising when in contact with the ball, no loo or shower breaks while training, minimising time spent in the changing room before and after a game and no handing over of personal items (cap, sunglasses, towels) to fellow teammates or the on-field umpires. According to Misbah, players will take a considerable amount of time to get used to the new playing conditions.
"It is like when you keep on driving a car your reactions become automated,” he added.
