Deano cricket: Why have Australian cricketers applied white zinc in Boxing Day Test vs India?

Australian cricketers applied white zinc: The hosts have been seen applying white zinc on their lower lip at the Melbourne Cricket Ground.

During the first day of the second Test of the ongoing India’s tour of Australia in Melbourne, Australia captain Tim Paine won the toss and elected to bat with a strong emphasis on a “series victory”.

“We’ll bat first. Christmas was very quiet, we had half the families here. We didn’t the big buffet which was a pretty good thing (laughs). We had a good night at Adelaide, but we have spoken about the fact that series wins are more important over individual wins. Every match becomes important with the WTC points as well now,” Paine told Fox Sports at the toss.

Paine’s decision of bowling first didn’t quite go well in the first session after the hosts lost as many as three wickets which included batsman Steve Smith (0) departing without contributing.

Why have Australian cricketers applied white zinc in Boxing Day Test vs India?

On the first day at the Melbourne Cricket Ground, the Australian players caught the attention of the fans for applying white zinc on their lower lip. The zinc cream has been used by cricketers for over decades to protect their skin from sun damage due to ultraviolet rays and other skin-related ailments.

It is worth mentioning that the same has been done as a tribute for former Australia batsman Dean Jones who had passed away aged 59 earlier this year. Jones, who was in Mumbai for a commentary stint in the 13th season of the Indian Premier League, had died after suffering a cardiac arrest.

Jones, whose body was brought back to the MCG (home ground) for one last lap, was usually seen with a zinc cream on his lower lip during his playing days.

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