Former India pacer Irfan Pathan reckons that the ban on using saliva for shining the ball is a significant blow to bowlers and authorities should ensure the preparation of bowling-friendly Test wickets to prevent complete domination of the game by the batsmen. The ICC cricket committee, led by former India captain Anil Kumble, has recommended a ban on use of saliva as an interim measure to combat the coronavirus threat. Pathan feels the ban could even stretch up to two years and will give undue advantage to batsmen. “You will to have make sure that pithes are more suitable to the bowlers than batsmen to negate the advantage (of not being able use saliva). If you are not able to shine the ball properly, you will not be able to cut the air because of scientific reasons.”And if you are not able to swing it, the batsman will have it easy because nobody fears just pace, it is the combination of pace and swing that troubles them,” Pathan, one of the best exponents of swing bowling in Indian cricket, told on Sunday.
