The owner of the renowned manufacturers of Cricket balls, Dilip Jajodia, has maintained that the inevitable ban on the usage of saliva on Cricket balls should not impact bowlers to find natural swing in England in the ongoing summer.

In light of the precautionary measures being proposed for Cricket’s potential resumption, ICC’s Cricket and Medical Advisory committees have unanimously recommended that the use of saliva to polish the ball shall be prohibited since COVID-19 has been shown to transmit fairly easily via saliva. 

Celebrated cricketers like Mitchell Starc have already voiced their concerns that a temporary ban on spit-polishing to shine the ball could hand batsmen too much of an advantage and the dynamics of the game could further deteriorate as far as bowlers are concerned. He suggested that the lack of movement through the air could really unbalance the weights in the batsmen’s favor.

However, there are other figures in the cricketing fraternity such, the likes of Chris Woakes, who feel that the Duke balls may still offer lateral movement – both off the pitch and through the air – in English conditions.

Jajodia reinstated Woakes and acknowledged that a balanced duel between bat and ball will be even more significant now with the imminent changes to the game’s traditional rules:

“I don’t see swing being a big problem in England. You have to have a balance between bat and ball otherwise the game is boring, we know that. But it’s not just the shiny surface or the rough side that causes swing, it’s the integrity of the ball.”

The owner of Dukes also offered his two cents on the effective application of sweat to shine the ball from one end:

“You don’t have to worry because with a ball constructed like ours you’ve got a good shape, a strong seam that acts as a rudder through the air and, because it is hand-stitched, it stays harder for longer,” he said. “They are not banning the use of sweat, so you run your hand over your forehead, and, with the nature of the leather, a rigorous polish should get the grease moving enough to give a good shine.”

 England Cricket Board is bracing for a possible resumption of Cricket with West Indies’ tour almost certain now. The Calypso Kings are scheduled to feature in three Tests with the first of these starting at The Ageas Bowl on July 8. Once the series concludes, England will face off Pakistan in another three-Test home series followed by three T20Is in the latter half of the English summer.