Warner not convinced by proposed saliva ban

Australia opening batsman David Warner doesn't think a proposed idea to ban the use of saliva to shine cricket balls is necessary.

The ICC is reportedly considering legal ways to maintain the condition of the ball and keep the bowlers in the game during the coronavirus pandemic, but Warner doesn't think the traditional methods of ball-shining need to be altered.

"You're sharing change rooms and you're sharing everything else, I don't see why you have to change that," Warner told Cricket.com.au.

"It's been going around for hundreds of years now, I can't recall anyone that's got sick by doing that. If you're going to contract a bug, I don't think it'd necessarily be just from that."

The ICC appears keen to remove the health risk that comes with the use of saliva, given the current threat of Covid-19.

"It's up to the ICC and the governing bodies to decide," added Warner.

Former India bowler Zaheer Khan, meanwhile, has a completely different take on the matter.

"The issue has to be addressed. It's not just one individual putting saliva on the ball, it's usually the entire playing eleven," Zaheer said on Cricbuzz Live.

"When you're playing in a packed stadium and the ball has gone out for a six, it actually might have gone into the crowd and touched people's hands. So there's a question mark on the practice (of shining the ball with saliva) there. There's a high chance of something transmitting through the ball."

- TEAMtalk media