21 May 2020 12:00 am
By Bipin Dani
Not only bowlers but even the fielders will likely slip up in the infancy stages of the new playing condition (that bans use of saliva on the ball) being implemented, according to Shane McDermott, the fielding coach of the Sri Lankan team.
“Fielders also assist the bowlers greatly. The ball and its condition is normally the responsibility of the fielding unit and typically one or two players are identified to ensure it’s done well”, Shane McDermott said on Wednesday. “I feel (as it’s the same for both teams) all players will adjust accordingly to ensure the safety of others is adhered to ultimately allow the game to start again after these difficult times. I am sure the umpires and match referees will take this into consideration accordingly”.
“Shining the ball is an art that teams have been trying to master for over 100 years and this is a new challenge they will just have to accept and move on”.
“Simply the rubbing of the ball on clothing (shirt, trouser, sleeve) vigorously over time is hard work and takes effort but the ball is polished...good teams with players who buy in (especially red ball cricket) are normally the ones who can get the ball to swing in most conditions”, he further added.
“Ultimately shining the ball at times takes saliva but at times teams attempt to keep it as dry as possible and its condition comes down to shear hard work buffering it on the players attire,” McDermott added.