NEW DELHI: Former Australian paceman Brett Lee and India’s batting legend Sachin Tendulkar have stepped up pressure ahead of a key world body meeting on Wednesday for an alternative to saliva to be allowed for shining the cricket ball.

The International Cricket Council (ICC) is expected to order a temporary ban on using spit for shining as part of measures to get the sport restarted during the novel coronavirus (Covid-19) pandemic.

Fast bowlers make the ball swing in the air by shining one side with saliva or sweat.

Sweat would still be allowed, but is considered less effective.

“Maybe there are other ways that ICC needs to look in, assisting the bowler maybe in giving them something,” Lee said on Tendulkar’s 100MB online app. “Maybe try a new substance that they can potentially use that everyone agrees on, that the batsmen are happy with, that the bowlers are happy with.”

Tendulkar — arguably the greatest batsman in modern day cricket — said playing in cold countries will diminish the option of using sweat.

“You are not going to sweat,” he said naming New Zealand, Ireland and England.

“When I played for Yorkshire in 1992. I went there in the beginning of May and it was freezing. I can’t forget the game I played in Hove, I had five layers on me.”

Australian ball manufacturer Kookaburra is developing a wax applicator to shine the ball, but the world body is reluctant to allow artificial aids.

Lee, a two-time World Cup winner, said bowlers should be given some leeway by umpires, including getting ‘two or three warnings’ about using saliva before action is taken.

“Because I can guarantee you, if the players are told they can’t do it, they won’t do it on purpose but I think it will happen through that natural instinct.”

Published in Dawn, June 10th, 2020