Make bowlers wear mask to stop them from using saliva on ball, says Misbah-ul-Haq

Lahore, May 26:  Pakistan head coach Misbah-ul-Haq believes it will not be easy for the bowlers to get used to with the saliva ban which will come into effect once cricket resumes amid the COVID-19 pandemic.

According to Misbah, bowlers should be asked to wear masks in order to stop them from using saliva "instinctively" on the ball in order to shine it.

"It is not going to be easy at all (bowling without applying saliva). This is a habit players have developed since the start of their cricket. Even if a player keeps in mind the new restrictions somewhere he might act instinctively," Misbah said in an interview to YouTube Cricket Channel 'Cricket Baaz'.

"We might have to do something to prevent this. Like making bowlers wear a mask or some other restrictive protection so that they don't use saliva instinctively," he added.

The International Cricket Council (ICC) has recommended a host of "back to cricket" guidelines which includes a 14-day pre-match isolation training camps to ensure the teams are free from COVID-19.

The ICC Cricket Committee, led by Anil Kumble, has also recommended a ban on using saliva on the ball in order to stop the transmission of coronaviryus among players.

Misbah also believes that it will take time for players to get used to the new playing conditions.

"Whether we like it or not cricket is not going to be the same again until that time some cure is found for this coronavirus. So we need to get back to playing cricket but slowly and carefully. The players also need to realise it is not going to be easy for them in changed conditions," he said.