After Mohammed Shami, New Zealand’s Tim Southee Calls To Quash Saliva Ban On Ball

Former New Zealand pacer Tim Southe has supported India’s pacer Mohammad Shami’s Call for canceling the ban on saliva in international cricket to help the bowlers get the opposite swing from the ball. The International Cricket Council (ICC) in 2020, as a temporary step during the Kovid -19 epidemic, banned the use of saliva to polish the players. In September 2022, the ICC was permanently banned. After India’s four -wicket win in the Champions Trophy semifinals, Shami said, “We are trying (to get the opposite swing), but the use of saliva on the ball is not allowed. We should stay attractive that we should allow the use of saliva so we can bring the opposite swing to the game and make it interesting.”

Supporting Shami’s Call Low, Southe urged the ICC to cancel the ban on the use of saliva to shine the ball and give the bowlers some benefit.

“It was a rule that was brought around Kovid with a virus around the world, but as a bowler, you want to get some benefit,” Southe said on EspnCricinfo’s match day. “We run like a game and look at the score of 362 sides in this format no more than 300. I think there is something in favor of the bowlers, and whether it is a little saliva, yes, I can’t afford it to enter it.”

P T Black Caps Pacer has highlighted that the use of saliva is more effective in red-ball cricket than white-ball cricket to shine on one side of the ball and induce reverse swing.

“I think the ball swings at the beginning for a few overs (in white-ball cricket). But with a red ball, you are able to bring it back, and apparently, sweating in different parts of the world can be limited, while saliva can clearly get it from a number of sources and all parts of the world.”

“I think there is the benefit of keeping saliva on the ball, maybe more in a red-ball cricket than white-ball cricket.”

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