The outbreak of the novel coronavirus and imposition of new rules had made the job of cricketers extremely tough. From regular handshakes to using saliva on the ball, the International Cricket Council (ICC) has banned all in the wake of COVID-19. However, Pakistan fast bowler Mohammad Amir was seen using saliva on the ball, defying ICC’s rules.
England began their T20 journey against Pakistan yesterday at the Old Trafford in Manchester. It was a no different affair as rain gods played spoilsport and only 16.1 overs of play was possible.
Mohammad Amir uses saliva; defies ICC ruling
With the entire world fighting a pandemic, cricket only returned in July with England taking on West Indies. During that series, English cricketer Dominic Sibley accidentally used saliva on the ball and the umpires had to immediately disinfect it to contain the spread of the virus.
The threat once again returned at the Old Trafford when Mohammad Amir used saliva to shine the ball defying ICC’s rules. Meanwhile, it was not just a one-off case as the Pakistan speedster repeated his actions a couple of times. However, the on-field umpires didn’t reprimand Amir.
https://twitter.com/smk_77/status/1299419544184913923?s=20
According to ICC ruling, “Players will not be permitted to use saliva to shine the ball. If a player does apply saliva to the ball, the umpires will manage the situation with some leniency during an initial period of adjustment for the players, but subsequent instances will result in the team receiving a warning.
A team can be issued up to two warnings per innings but repeated use of saliva on the ball will result in a 5-run penalty to the batting side. Whenever saliva is applied to the ball, the umpires will be instructed to clean the ball before play recommences.”
However, there has been no official sanction on Mohammad Amir so far. Speaking about the game, Tom Banton provided England with a fiery start with a quickfire half-century before the rain came pouring down. After much deliberation, the umpires decided to call off the game.
The second match of the series is on August 30 (Sunday) at the Old Trafford in Manchester.
