Pitch could be prepared to maintain balance: ICC Committee Chairman Anil Kumble

NEW DELHI: The International Cricket Council's (ICC) Cricket Committee Chairman Anil Kumble on Wednesday said cricket has an advantage over other sports in the sense that the pitch can be prepared in such a way where bat-ball balance is maintained.

The COVID-19 pandemic has forced the ICC Cricket Committee to take the decision to ban use of saliva in their bid to restart cricket. There has been talk of allowing other artificial substances to help the bowlers shine the ball without using saliva, but that has not been suggested by the committee.

Kumble said the committee decided not to allow that as that has been the custom all along.

"Our intention was to start cricket. We can't call it normal but then this is the new normal that all of us need to get used to," Kumble said during a webinar organised by FICCI called Sporting Events: Embracing the New Normal."

"Safety and security of players is a major concern and with that in mind, and based on medical advice we believe saliva could be the major contributor to carrying this disease.

"So we banned the use of saliva although it is second nature in cricket. That is why players will find it hard to manage. In training, they will have to start slowly. It's not just about coming back and playing but also about coming back after two and half months of lockdown," said legendary leg-spinner and former India captain Kumble.

"Especially if you are a bowler, you need to have those bowling overs under your belt before you start competing. So it's important you slowly and gradually comeback to normalcy as much as you can.

"The advantage that cricket has over other sports is that there is an element of an adjustable variance in the pitch which not many sports have. (IANS)