Ishant Sharma has said that the inability to shine the red ball makes the competition easy for the batsman.
India's premier fast bowler Ishant Sharma has said that players will have to take special precautions following the ban on using saliva on the ball. Saliva usage is a common practice for bowlers as well as the fielders during a cricket match and it might be challenging for players to resist the urge to apply saliva on the ball.
"I feel that the most important thing will be avoiding the use of saliva on the ball and refraining from shining the ball. We will have to take special precautions for this as we are used to shining the ball, especially the red ball," Ishant said while speaking on Star Sports show Cricket Connected.
"If we don't shine the red ball, it doesn't swing and if it doesn't swing then it becomes really easy for the batsman. I think the competition should be fair and not a batsman dominated game."
According to the ICC rules, the players will be warned twice upon the usage of saliva on the ball. However, repeated use will result in a 5-run penalty for the fielding side.
Whenever the saliva is applied, the umpires will be instructed to clean the ball before the play could restart.
The international cricket is set to resume on July 8 with England hosting West Indies for a three-match Test series. The West Indies squad, led by Jason Holder, has already reached England.
The first match will be played at the Ageas Bowl in Southamption, while the second and third matches will be played at Old Trafford in Manchester on July 16-20 and July 24-28.
