{"id":59759,"date":"2020-06-10T12:35:51","date_gmt":"2020-06-10T12:35:51","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/en.bornomalanews.com\/?p=59759"},"modified":"2020-06-10T12:35:51","modified_gmt":"2020-06-10T12:35:51","slug":"wasim-akram-warns-saliva-ban-will-make-bowlers-robots","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/en.bornomalanews.com\/?p=59759","title":{"rendered":"Wasim Akram warns saliva ban will make bowlers ‘robots’"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"\"Sports Desk: Legendary Pakistan paceman Wasim Akram on Wednesday warned that bowlers would become “robots” after cricket officials temporarily banned shining the ball with saliva as a coronavirus precaution.<\/p>\n

Bowlers traditionally get the ball to move or swing in the air by applying shine to one side using sweat or saliva, reports AFP.<\/p>\n

The International Cricket Council (ICC), however, has temporarily banned the practise over virus transmission fears as teams prepare to return to the pitch in the coming weeks.<\/p>\n

Players can still apply sweat to the ball.<\/p>\n

“It will make bowlers robots, coming and bowling without swing,” Akram told AFP, saying they would have to be patient and wait for the ball to age naturally.<\/p>\n

“It's a quizzical situation for me as I grew up using saliva to shine the ball and to swing it,” he added.<\/p>\n

“I am all for precautions in these tough times, so bowlers have to wait for the ball to get old and rough for them to get swing.<\/p>\n

Sweat alone was unlikely to generate swing as in some countries it was too cold, said Akram.<\/p>\n

“Sweat is just something of an add-on, a top-up. Too much use of sweat will leave the cricket ball too wet,” he said.<\/p>\n

Akram, who took 414 Test and 502 one-day international wickets in a storied career, believes artificial substance could potentially help as he encouraged officials to keep searching for alternatives.<\/p>\n

“I believe that they will need to find a reasonable solution. Artificial substances like vaseline could be used to swing the ball but how much of it?<\/p>\n

“Let's see, we have this England versus the West Indies series to judge how it goes, because I have never experienced this thing.”<\/p>\n

International cricket resumes with England hosting the West Indies in a Test series later this month.<\/p>\n

Akram said suggestions that limited ball-tampering be allowed should also be considered by officials.<\/p>\n

“When can you tamper the ball? Right from the first over or after 20-25 overs? They will need to sit down and do brainstorming,” he added.<\/p>\n

“The game is already tilted more in favour of the batsmen.”<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Sports Desk: Legendary Pakistan paceman Wasim Akram on Wednesday warned that bowlers would become “robots” after cricket officials temporarily banned shining the ball with saliva as a coronavirus precaution. Bowlers traditionally get the ball to move or swing in the air by applying shine to one side using sweat or saliva, reports AFP. The International […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":7,"featured_media":59760,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":[],"categories":[8],"tags":[],"yoast_head":"\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\t\n\t\n\n\n\t\n