The Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) has resolved to allow the use of saliva on the cricket ball and to change the rule of the second ball being used in the second innings. These changes are among the major decisions floated by BCCI and IPL management looking toward the forthcoming IPL season.
The BCCI explained the new rules directly to team captains and managers in a meeting held at the Cricket Centre in Mumbai on March 20 on Thursday. The second ball will come into use after the 11th over of the second innings in an IPL match, mainly in consideration of the dew factor, which plays a prominent role in night games. This will, therefore, rule out any advantage that the captain winning the toss could have gained from dew conditions, thereby ensuring a level playing field.
The reintroduction of the use of saliva was expected after senior cricketer Mohammed Shami took a stand in favor of its restoration, “We should continue urging the authorities to allow the use of saliva for swing and reverse swing.” This request by Shami after a Champions Trophy match in Dubai gained the support of international pace bowlers Vernon Philander and Tim Southee, who felt Shami’s argument was justly founded.
The ban was first placed on the use of saliva during the pandemic period due to various measures taken by the International Cricket Council (ICC) to curb the spread of coronavirus. With the pandemic being a thing of the past, the voices to withdraw the ban have become louder, with Shami being the most prominent one from the cricketing community.
On the issue of ball replacement, the Board will give the umpires authority to determine when a ball should be changed. Dew conditions shall be evaluated by the umpires to determine if a change is warranted, a source said.
