It’s time to review ball tampering laws

In a world that is going to become a different place after the COVID-19 pandemic, one has to be ready to face new normals. Things perceived in a certain way may have to be viewed from another perspective. What was common may make way for something that had not seemed natural hitherto. And soon the game of cricket too will have some important decisions to make. One of them concerns the matter of applying saliva and sweat on the ball. This has been an accepted practice for ages to make the cricket ball swing.

The International Cricket Council has assigned its medical committee the task of studying the guidelines of the World Health Organization and those of governments of different countries to come up with a roadmap. Rubbing a ball with saliva is unlikely to be approved in the new health advisories. Cricket needs a solution because if a fielding side is prevented from keeping one side of the ball shiny, especially in Test cricket, fast bowlers would not be able to make the ball move. Spinners, too, will suffer to a lesser extent. This will create an imbalance between bat and ball, and would leave batsmen with a distinct advantage. A decision is not expected before August when the international cricket body holds its annual conference, although theories have started doing the rounds.

The most popular of these theories is legalising the use of substances like petroleum gel or wax. Prohibited under existing laws, these can help bowlers maintain shine on the ball. There are voices for and against, mostly on the nature of the lubricant that can be permitted. But former and current players are convinced that some sort of external matter is required to ensure something for the bowlers. Which substance, how much and at what intervals are the questions the ICC has to answer. Viewed as ‘tampering’ until now, the rule regarding this needs a revision when cricket resumes. In a playing field of new normals, this should be one of the first changes.