Gujarat Titans pacer welcomes BCCI’s decision to lift saliva ban ahead of Indian Premier League; says bowlers will get much-needed reverse swing in batter-friendly conditions
Mohammed Siraj. Pic/Gujarat Titans
India pacer Mohammed Siraj on Thursday wholeheartedly welcomed the BCCI’s decision to lift the saliva ban ahead of IPL 2025, saying it will help the bowlers find reverse swing even in unhelpful conditions.
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The BCCI lifted the ban on use of saliva on the cricket ball for the upcoming Indian Premier League, making it the first major competition to do away with the restriction that was a consequence of the COVID-19 pandemic.
Bowlers delighted
“It’s excellent news for us bowlers because when the ball is not doing anything, applying saliva on the ball will increase the chances of finding some reverse swing. It’s very good for bowlers,” Siraj, who was released by the Royal Challengers Bengaluru ahead of last year’s auction and will play under new skipper Shubman Gill for Gujarat Titans, told PTI.
“It [saliva] sometimes aids reverse swing because scrubbing the ball against the shirt will not help [to get reverse swing]. But using saliva on the ball will help in maintaining [the shine on one side], and it is important,” added Siraj.
On the sidelines of the ICC Champions Trophy, senior India pacer Mohammed Shami had first spoken about the need to use saliva on the ball. “We keep appealing that we should be allowed to use saliva so that we can bring reverse swing back into the game and it becomes interesting,” Shami had said during the 50-over event in Dubai, where India emerged victorious. He got support from many former players, including R Ashwin, Vernon Philander and Tim Southee among others.
Ashwin said that ICC’s ban call had stemmed from their research. “ICC released some papers after research showed that saliva did not aid reverse swing much. Not putting saliva has not made a huge difference. I do not know how they did the research, but saliva should be allowed again if it is not a problem. Otherwise, cricketers have to get on with it,” he had said on his YouTube channel Ash ki Baat.
Ban due to COVID-19
Former New Zealand pacer Southee felt bowlers deserved a bit of an advantage. “That [saliva ban] was a rule brought during COVID-19 with the virus going around the world, but as a bowler, you want to have a slight advantage. We are seeing sides score 360 and more often than not over 300 [in ODIs]. There needs to be something in the bowlers’ favour, and if that’s a little bit of saliva, I don’t see why they couldn’t afford to get that back in,” Southee had told ESPNCricinfo.
Former South Africa all-rounder Philander said saliva was most needed for the ODI format. “I’d like to see it [saliva] back because it’s needed, especially in ODI cricket where we see batters really dominating,” Philander had said.
How saliva aids reverse swing
A cricket ball moves laterally if different air pressure is applied. If the seam of a new ball is kept upright, it doesn’t swing. But, if a bowler holds the ball with the seam pointing to the left or right, then, given the science of aerodynamics, the ball swings in that direction. As the ball gets older, saliva is used to maintain its shine on one side while the other side is kept rough due to its wear and tear. Reverse swing occurs when the ball moves due to a change in air pressure towards the shiny side where saliva has been applied.
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