<p>The Covid-19 pandemic has turned the life upside down. No one knows when normalcy would be restored but as and when it does, things are not going to be the same again. Sport isn't excluded and cricket is no exception to that.</p>.<p>By virtue of being a non-contact sport, cricket does enjoy certain advantages over other team games like football, rugby, kabaddi or to an extent even hockey. It's not, however, without its own set of challenges. There are some minor adjustments to be made but players may also have to do away with certain practices that could change the complexion of the game itself.</p>.<p>With hygiene becoming the buzzword in a pandemic-hit world, there has been an increased debate on bowlers using sweat and saliva to maintain the cricket ball. There is no doubt the body fluids are the main transmitters of the virus and applying it on the ball is an open invitation to the disease. While Australia have already passed a rule banning the application of sweat and saliva as and when sports activities resume Down Under, ICC are reportedly mulling making legal the tampering of the ball, using an external object, under the supervision of on-field umpires.</p>.<p>This is just one example of the extent to which Covid-19 has messed with our lives. It's a supreme irony that two of Australia's finest batsmen - Steve Smith and David Warner - returned to action only last June after serving 12-month bans for their role in the Sandpaper-gate and now the Melbourne-based ball-manufacturing company, Kookaburra, is developing a "wax applicator" that can be used to keep the shine of ball. </p>.<p>It's a no-brainer that reverse swing is the lifeline of pacers in the sub-continent where pitches offer little help and conventional swing disappears as fast as the ball fades. This is when bowlers and ball-handlers apply their sweat and saliva to keep one part of the ball shiny and heavier to extract reverse movement with the older ball. This is why Shane Warne suggested using a ball that is slightly heavier on one side of the seam. While Warne's idea may have sounded a bit outlandish, is it right to allow the use of an external object to work on the ball?</p>.<p>"It's an ethical dilemma at the moment," says former India pacer Venkatesh Prasad, one of the finest exponents of swing. "Honestly, I have no idea how it (wax) works. I never used or applied anything other than saliva or sweat. But I am against applying an external object. That leads to nothing but doctoring the ball which is against ethics. But given the situation we are in now, if you look at ethics then the bowlers will be the sufferers. </p>.<p>"On one hand you have to take care of not just your own health but others' as well. But on the other, bowlers' skill is compromised. Especially in the sub-continent where you rely on swing (both conventional and reverse) when there is nothing off the pitch; bowlers are going to suffer. Not just pacers, but spinners too to some extent because they may not get that drift in the air," he explains. </p>.<p>With skill taken out of the game to a certain extent, Prasad feels, it's advantage Australia or South Africa or to an extent England who will have genuine quicks and who rely more on pace than movement. And according to Prasad this is where the applicator could come to bowlers' aid. Kookaburra, though, weren't willing to divulge any details on the nature of applicator at this stage. </p>.<p>"When you used sweat and saliva, the ball was still getting deteriorated but probably with the wax applicator, even after 60 overs you may retain the freshness of the ball because you are keeping it shiny for longer duration and, therefore, you can still swing it even after 60 overs. The wax applicator probably slows down or reduces the natural wear and tear of the ball. This could be the mitigating factor in the absence of traditional methods of maintaining the ball."</p>.<p>Sri Lanka's Chaminda Vaas, another fine swing bowler from the sub-continent, says no use of saliva will be mandatory and that's a sad reality. But like Prasad, he too insists sweat should be allowed. </p>.<p>"... We have got to move on with times," says the former left-arm pacer. "But I still think (applying) sweat should be okay. Or else, they have to change the rule saying the new ball can be taken after 60 overs (as opposed to 80 overs now)."</p>.<p>Vaas also agrees that with a potential ban on the use of saliva, the wax applicator can provide a level-playing field for bowlers. </p>.<p>"If they find a wax to be used on balls, it will help conventional swinging for a longer period but reverse swinging will be gone. That is what happens with the Dukes ball, you can swing it even after 30 overs." </p>
<p>The Covid-19 pandemic has turned the life upside down. No one knows when normalcy would be restored but as and when it does, things are not going to be the same again. Sport isn't excluded and cricket is no exception to that.</p>.<p>By virtue of being a non-contact sport, cricket does enjoy certain advantages over other team games like football, rugby, kabaddi or to an extent even hockey. It's not, however, without its own set of challenges. There are some minor adjustments to be made but players may also have to do away with certain practices that could change the complexion of the game itself.</p>.<p>With hygiene becoming the buzzword in a pandemic-hit world, there has been an increased debate on bowlers using sweat and saliva to maintain the cricket ball. There is no doubt the body fluids are the main transmitters of the virus and applying it on the ball is an open invitation to the disease. While Australia have already passed a rule banning the application of sweat and saliva as and when sports activities resume Down Under, ICC are reportedly mulling making legal the tampering of the ball, using an external object, under the supervision of on-field umpires.</p>.<p>This is just one example of the extent to which Covid-19 has messed with our lives. It's a supreme irony that two of Australia's finest batsmen - Steve Smith and David Warner - returned to action only last June after serving 12-month bans for their role in the Sandpaper-gate and now the Melbourne-based ball-manufacturing company, Kookaburra, is developing a "wax applicator" that can be used to keep the shine of ball. </p>.<p>It's a no-brainer that reverse swing is the lifeline of pacers in the sub-continent where pitches offer little help and conventional swing disappears as fast as the ball fades. This is when bowlers and ball-handlers apply their sweat and saliva to keep one part of the ball shiny and heavier to extract reverse movement with the older ball. This is why Shane Warne suggested using a ball that is slightly heavier on one side of the seam. While Warne's idea may have sounded a bit outlandish, is it right to allow the use of an external object to work on the ball?</p>.<p>"It's an ethical dilemma at the moment," says former India pacer Venkatesh Prasad, one of the finest exponents of swing. "Honestly, I have no idea how it (wax) works. I never used or applied anything other than saliva or sweat. But I am against applying an external object. That leads to nothing but doctoring the ball which is against ethics. But given the situation we are in now, if you look at ethics then the bowlers will be the sufferers. </p>.<p>"On one hand you have to take care of not just your own health but others' as well. But on the other, bowlers' skill is compromised. Especially in the sub-continent where you rely on swing (both conventional and reverse) when there is nothing off the pitch; bowlers are going to suffer. Not just pacers, but spinners too to some extent because they may not get that drift in the air," he explains. </p>.<p>With skill taken out of the game to a certain extent, Prasad feels, it's advantage Australia or South Africa or to an extent England who will have genuine quicks and who rely more on pace than movement. And according to Prasad this is where the applicator could come to bowlers' aid. Kookaburra, though, weren't willing to divulge any details on the nature of applicator at this stage. </p>.<p>"When you used sweat and saliva, the ball was still getting deteriorated but probably with the wax applicator, even after 60 overs you may retain the freshness of the ball because you are keeping it shiny for longer duration and, therefore, you can still swing it even after 60 overs. The wax applicator probably slows down or reduces the natural wear and tear of the ball. This could be the mitigating factor in the absence of traditional methods of maintaining the ball."</p>.<p>Sri Lanka's Chaminda Vaas, another fine swing bowler from the sub-continent, says no use of saliva will be mandatory and that's a sad reality. But like Prasad, he too insists sweat should be allowed. </p>.<p>"... We have got to move on with times," says the former left-arm pacer. "But I still think (applying) sweat should be okay. Or else, they have to change the rule saying the new ball can be taken after 60 overs (as opposed to 80 overs now)."</p>.<p>Vaas also agrees that with a potential ban on the use of saliva, the wax applicator can provide a level-playing field for bowlers. </p>.<p>"If they find a wax to be used on balls, it will help conventional swinging for a longer period but reverse swinging will be gone. That is what happens with the Dukes ball, you can swing it even after 30 overs." </p>
