Of all the safety measures proposed for cricket once it returns, banning the usage of saliva and sweat for shining the ball is one that has garnered a lot of debate. Former India fast-bowler Chetan Sharma however feels it is rather impossible to do that as the players' sweat and saliva will come on the ball anyhow in some way because of the sheer time they spend in the field on a typical day.
Chetan feels that using any substitute for saliva or sweat would mean promoting ball tampering which has always been deemed as an illegal practice. "If the usage of artificial substances are made legal then what happened to all the debate we have had over the years on ball tampering," Chetan told .
"Moreover if a player is spending around six hours a day in the middle, just observe the number of times they lick their lips. There is no chance that they won't lick their lips or wipe their faces with their hands when they are out there for that long.
"So whether you put saliva on the ball or not your germs are going on it anyhow. So if they are stopping this practice to ensure that your germs don't reach the ball, they have failed right there because the body fluids will reach the ball in some way or the other. You can't tell the players that they can't wipe the sweat off their faces or bodies."
Chetan said that there is no way that players' body fluids can be stopped from getting on the ball and instead, suitable quarantine measures should be implemented before or during matches and series.
"Quarantine the players for 14 days, test them. After that if you feel that the player is 100 per cent risk free, you allow them to play. If there is even a minor risk, the player should not play," said Chetan, who was the first Indian bowler to take a hat-trick in a World Cup.
He is however supportive of playing matches without spectators. "If cricket is allowed to be played behind closed doors there is nothing wrong with it. If we can't go to the ground but we can still watch tournaments like the Indian Premier League (IPL) at home, so be it."
The BCCI is now looking to hold the IPL in October but that is also clashing with the men's T20 World Cup that is scheduled to be held at the same time in Australia. Chetan said that the IPL should happen no matter what because of the importance it carries for the younger players in the domestic circuit.
"IPL is the No. 1 tournament in India. The ICC is laying out an FTP but for us, the IPL is very important because the future of a lot of young players depend on it. I don't know what the BCCI or the ICC are thinking but as a fan and a former cricketer, I want to see the IPL taking place. Even if we only get a small window for it, we should take that chance," said Chetan.
The 54-year-old also said that players will take around two weeks to get back to their old rhythm whenever cricket returns.
"The BCCI has set up training schedules for the players which they are following," he said. "The coaches are working with the players on their physical and mental fitness and immunity so two weeks in the nets should be enough for the players to get their rhythm back.
"I feel batsmen will find it a little more difficult than the bowlers and it is of course not a problem that only Indian players are facing. But yes, I think two weeks would be more than enough."
( With inputs from IANS )
