The International Cricket Council’s (ICC) cricket committee has officially recommended that saliva must not be used to shine the ball. The decision comes in the wake of health and safety risk it brings due to the outbreak of coronavirus pandemic. The committee headed by former India skipper Anil Kumble held a conference call to decide on some important issues.

The threat of COVID-19 has posed some difficult questions to the game when it resumes. Among all, the use of saliva to maintain the shine of the ball was a primary one. Incidentally, using the saliva to shine the ball can pose the risk of the transmission of the virus through saliva.

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Meanwhile, the Committee was of the view that it is highly unlikely that the virus could be transmitted through sweat and saw no need to prohibit the use of the same to polish the ball. It did, however, call for the implementation of enhanced hygiene measures on and around the playing field. Chaired by Anil Kumble, the committee sought advice from Dr Peter Harcour, Chair of the ICC Medical Advisory Committee before taking the final call.

Moreover, given the challenges of international travel with borders being closed, limited commercial flights and mandatory quarantine periods, the ICC Cricket Committee recommended that local match officials be appointed in the short-term.

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“We are living through extraordinary times and the recommendations the Committee have made today are interim measures to enable us to safely resume cricket in a way that preserves the essence of our game whilst protecting everyone involved,” Anil Kumble said.

The cricket committee will place the recommendations before the ICC board meeting on May 28 where they will be officially ratified.

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