Cummins wants artificial substance to shine ball

Thursday, 21 May 2020 00:10 - - {{hitsCtrl.values.hits}}

Australia's Pat Cummins celebrates taking the wicket of South Africa's Temba Bavuma - Reuters

Bowler says will struggle to shine ball with only sweat
Team mate Hazlewood says proposed saliva ban tough to Police (Recasts with Cummins quotes)

SYDNEY (Reuters): Australia quick Pat Cummins wants cricket’s lawmakers to approve the use of an artificial substance to shine the ball after a ban on the use of saliva was recommended in the wake of the COVID-19 health crisis.

The International Cricket Council’s (ICC) cricket committee has recommended the ban on the use of spit when the sport returns after the coronavirus shutdown because of fears it could lead to the spread of COVID-19.

Cricketers have long used saliva and sweat to shine one side of the ball, altering the aerodynamics in an attempt to generate movement in the air as it flies towards the batsman.

“If we remove saliva, we have to have another option,” Cummins told the cricket.com.au website (www.cricket.com.au/news/patrick-cummins-saliva-ball-icc-ban-swing-seam-sweat-australia-covid-19-coronavirus/2020-05-20).

“Sweat’s not bad, but I think we need something more than that, ideally. Whatever that is, wax or I don’t know what.

“If that’s what that science is telling us, that it’s high risk using saliva... as long as we’re keeping other options open, whether that’s sweat or something artificial.”

Earlier this month, Australian cricket-ball manufacturer Kookaburra said it had developed a wax applicator to enhance shine and aid swing.

Cummins’ team mate and fellow quick Josh Hazlewood said the proposed ban on saliva would be difficult to Police.

“I’d like saliva to be used obviously but if that’s what they’ve put forward (a ban), I guess everyone is playing the same game,” he told Sydney’s Daily Telegraph.

“Once it comes back to you as a bowler, it’s second nature to just give it a little touch up if you see something, and that’s going to be hard to stop to be honest. And it’s a tough thing to monitor for sure.”

Cricket Australia (CA) is also considering disinfecting the ball during matches to minimise the health risk to players, the head of its medical team said yesterday.

Discover Kapruka, the leading online shopping platform in Sri Lanka, where you can conveniently send Gifts and Flowers to your loved ones for any event including Valentine ’s Day. Explore a wide range of popular Shopping Categories on Kapruka, including Toys, Groceries, Electronics, Birthday Cakes, Fruits, Chocolates, Flower Bouquets, Clothing, Watches, Lingerie, Gift Sets and Jewellery. Also if you’re interested in selling with Kapruka, Partner Central by Kapruka is the best solution to start with. Moreover, through Kapruka Global Shop, you can also enjoy the convenience of purchasing products from renowned platforms like Amazon and eBay and have them delivered to Sri Lanka.