Post COVID-19 pandemic, a lot of rules have been made by the International Cricket Council (ICC) to protect all the player. The most prominent rule being of players not applying saliva to shine the ball and make it reverse swing.
Now in a first Australian pacer, Mitch Claydon has been suspended by English county side Sussex for supposedly using hand sanitizer on the cricket ball. Claydon will now no longer be part of his 14 member Squad of Sussex in the forthcoming match against Surrey in the Bob Willis Trophy.
Mitch Claydon suspended for applying sanitiser on ball
“Mitch Claydon is suspended pending the outcome of an ECB allegation of placing hand sanitiser on the ball in our match against Middlesex. There will be no further comment at this stage,” Sussex said in an official statement.
Meanwhile, it was observed that Mitch Claydon was applying hand sanitizer on the cricket ball during a county match last month against Middlesex. Claydon, in the end, picked 3 wickets in that particular game. For the imminent match against Surrey, South African David Wiese will be available for selection for Sussex.
The 16-year-old James Coles is also listed in Sussex’s first-team squad for the second time in his young career and 19-year-old Ali Orr is included for the first time.
Furthermore, bowlers are now advised not to use saliva on the ball in any way because of the coronavirus spread. Bowlers are now finding unique ways to shine the ball and make it swing. Earlier during the test series against Pakistan, England bowlers were using back sweat instead of saliva to shine the ball.
“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”, ICC had asserted in their new rules post COVID-19.
