New Zealand cricketer Glenn Phillips has been accused of using saliva to shine the ball during the first Test against Bangladesh. The incident occurred during the 34th over when Phillips applied saliva on the ball after bowling the first delivery to Bangladesh captain Najmul Hossain Shanto. The Bangladesh team manager, Nafees Iqbal, confirmed that they were aware of the incident and had informed the fourth umpire. On-field umpires Ahsan Raza and Paul Reiffel did not take any actions at the time.
The International Cricket Council (ICC) had banned the use of saliva to shine the ball last year due to the COVID-19 pandemic. The updated Law 41.3 of the game states that applying saliva to the ball is not permitted and will be treated the same way as any other unfair method of changing the condition of the ball. Players have been using sweat to polish the ball instead, which has been found to be equally effective in generating swing.
Despite the controversy surrounding the ball-tampering accusation, Bangladesh captain Shanto’s unbeaten century put the hosts in control on Day 3 of the Test match. Bangladesh were 308/7 in their second innings, leading New Zealand by 301 runs. In the first innings, New Zealand had taken a narrow seven-run lead after being bowled out for 317 in response to Bangladesh’s total of 310.
The incident has sparked discussions about the use of saliva in cricket and the fairness of altering the ball’s condition. The ICC and cricket authorities will likely review the incident and take appropriate action if necessary.
