Harbhajan Singh fears bowlers becoming 'bowling machines' if saliva on the ball is banned

In wake of the ongoing coronavirus crisis and the contagious nature of the disease, the International Cricket Council (ICC) are reportedly contemplating to legalise ball-tampering. Such a move would prohibit bowlers from using sweat and saliva on a cricket ball in order to maintain its shine. The discussion has drawn mixed reactions from former and active cricketers alike with Indian cricketer Harbhajan Singh stating that the use of saliva is a must and alternatives like Vaseline are not an ideal replacement.

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Harbhajan Singh on how ball-tampering move may impact bowlers

In an interview with the Hindustan Times, the 103-Test veteran was asked to give his take on the ICC reportedly being keen on banning the use of sweat and saliva on a cricket ball. Singh said that in light of the current worldwide coronavirus and the India lockdown situation, it is likely that the ban on saliva and sweat will be made all over the world.

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Harbhajan Singh also said that such a move will make life very difficult for the bowlers. He added that in such a scenario, bowler-friendly pitches should be churned out in order to provide some assistance to the bowlers. He was of the opinion that since cricketers will be banned from using saliva to improve the condition of the ball, they should at least be not given flat tracks to bowl on.

Singh later expressed his fear that bowlers will become mere “bowling machines” and cricket will purely become a “batsman’s game” if the ICC imposes the rule.

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CSK: Harbhajan Singh in the IPL 2020

During the IPL 2020 trading and transfer window, Harbhajan Singh was retained by Chennai Super Kings (CSK) for US$263,887 (₹2 crore). He was one of the 20 cricketers retained by CSK from their squad in the previous edition. The veteran off-spinner joined CSK in IPL 2018 and has remained a part of the side since then.

While CSK were scheduled to face Mumbai Indians in the tournament opener on March 29, the much-awaited IPL 2020 was postponed indefinitely by the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) due to coronavirus and India lockdown. Additionally, BCCI President Sourav Ganguly recently stated that there are no plans of staging any cricket match in the country as the India lockdown continues to remain in effect.

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