Pakistani Fast Bowlers Welcome End Of Saliva Ban For Ball Shining

Abdullah Hussain (@Abdulla99267510) Published March 22, 2025 | 04:43 PM

International Cricket Council (ICC) had imposed a ban on the use of saliva for ball shining during COVID-19, forcing fast bowlers to rely on sweat instead

LAHORE: (UrduPoint/UrduPoint / Pakistan Point News-March 22^nd, 2025) Pakistani fast bowlers on Saturday termed the lifting of the ban on using saliva to shine the ball as a positive development for bowlers.

The International Cricket Council (ICC) had imposed a ban on the use of saliva for ball shining during COVID-19, forcing fast bowlers to rely on sweat instead. However, after five years, the board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) has now lifted this restriction for the Indian Premier League (IPL).

Naseem Shah said, “Due to the ban, all bowlers have been using sweat to shine the ball, but saliva makes the ball shine faster. If saliva is allowed, one side of the ball will shine better, but good bowling is still necessary because just shining the ball doesn’t guarantee great bowling,”.

He added, “This decision won’t make a huge difference, but it will help in reverse swing as one side of the ball won’t wear out as quickly,”.

Fast bowler Mohammad Wasim Jr. also welcomed the decision, saying that, “Using saliva on the ball will be beneficial for us,”.

All-rounder Faheem Ashraf stated, “The ban was imposed due to COVID-19, but saliva makes the ball shine faster and more effectively than sweat. People have been saying that bowling isn’t the same as before, so if saliva is allowed again, we will see the same kind of bowling as before, and cricket will return to its original style,”.

Similarly, the young fast bowler Akif Javed noted, “The ban on saliva due to COVID-19 made things difficult for bowlers. Applying sweat on both sides of the ball reduced reverse swing but if the restriction is lifted, it will help bowlers and bring back reverse swing,”.