Marnus Labuschagne urges players to adapt regarding ban of saliva in cricket

Dixit Bhargav | 05/05/2020
Marnus Labuschagne urges players to adapt regarding ban of saliva in cricket

Marnus Labuschagne urges players to adapt: The Australian all-rounder has laid emphasis on getting back on to the field.

Australia all-rounder Marnus Labuschagne has urged cricketers around the world to “make sacrifices” to their game in a bid to make sure that the sport resumes as soon as possible.

“The objective for everyone is to get back on the field, so whatever sacrifices or slight tweaks in the game that need to be made… for us as players, it’s about being adaptable and being able to abide by those new laws, if that is the case,” Labuschagne was quoted as saying by Sydney Morning Herald.

Labuschagne, who scored his second ODI half-century while playing behind closed doors against New Zealand at the SCG, was among the 22 players who played the lone match in an empty stadium before the novel COVID-19 pandemic took charge to duly affect the sport around the globe.

Marnus Labuschagne urges players to adapt regarding ban of saliva in cricket

Among the biggest aftermaths which cricket will face due to coronavirus is bowlers applying saliva to retain shine on the ball. Given how the disease could potentially transfer due to the saliva, there have been talks of banning the age-old process of shining the ball.

The talks have faced severe criticism from current and former fast bowlers who believe the ban will further start favouring the batsmen for they will get a lot of assistance sans swing.

“In terms of shining it, it will be slightly strange. When you’re on the field it’s so natural if you’re one of the ball shiners to get the ball and put a little bit of saliva on your finger and try to buff out some of the rough areas of the ball.

“If that doesn’t happen, then that’s the way it is. That’s just how we’re going to have to deal with this situation,” Labuschagne said regarding playing the sport without shining the ball.

It is worth mentioning that noted Australian sports manufacturer Kookaburra have come up with a cricket ball shine polish which they claim should be available within a month for testing during live matches. It will be intriguing to see how the otherwise banned “artificial substance” behaves on the cricket ball.

Post Edited By: Dixit Bhargav
Australia Marnus Labuschagne

About the author

Dixit Bhargav

Born and brought up in Pathankot, Dixit Bhargav is an engineering and sports management graduate who works as a Cricket Editor at The SportsRush. Having written more than 10,000 articles across more than five years at TSR, his first cricketing memory dates back to 2002 when former India captain Sourav Ganguly had waved his jersey at the historic Lord’s balcony. What followed for an 8-year-old was an instant adulation for both Ganguly and the sport. The optimist in him is waiting for the day when Punjab Kings will win their maiden Indian Premier League title. When not watching cricket, he is mostly found in a cinema hall watching a Punjabi movie.

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