Under the current scenarios, where shining the ball via Saliva is totally a crime under the conditions, so we'll have to get to the basics, as the time when reverse-swing was associated as open-secret to Pakistanis only, the time of Lillee's and Robert's are returning, like it is said "time is passing me by".
The reason I posted the video above because this is supposedly one of the ways of bowling under the current bowling scenarios for the cricketing fraternity, where the amount of variations a bowler possesses is going to succeed instead it is going to be otherwise for the majority of them.
Below is the clipping of Vincy Premier League being currently played at St. Vincent, where rustiness and lack of swing can be experienced accordingly, and furthermore it is high time for the back-end thinktank teams to work the problem and make way for newer innovations in Quid Pro Quo because most of the cricket fraternity depends on late swinging deliveries which are going to be the story of the past, therefore banging the balls hard off the pitch and varying your deliveries accordingly just like Shoaib Akhtar did during England tour to Pakistan in 2005, as the commentator also acknowledged he expected nothing off the pitch, therefore, used it as a secret weapon in conditions where it doesn't swing much.
Pace is going to be the key
The pace is the key to success for the current lot of bowlers as the only swinging they (the bowlers) are going to get is via the atmosphere, and atmosphere only supports swinging when there is pace behind, hence, the bowlers who utilize the atmosphere is going to succeed, unlike pre-COVID-19 period where after some overs bowlers used to get assist from the reverse swing.
What is up for Pakistan?
I personally feel (I hope I am wrong), that Pakistan is surely going to suffer because Pakistan possesses less number of pure pace bowlers and more of Medium-Fast bowlers who initially rely on Swinging Deliveries, read Muhammad Musa, etc. If swing is taken away from them, they are venomless, hence they are going to be like a faster-spin-bowlers. The only genuine pace bowlers currently Pakistan have are Muhammad Hasnain and Nasim Shah.
Developing the bowlers with new skills under a new strategy
It is a well-known fact that just like I read the history of Abdul Razzaq and Azhar Mahmood who used to work hard on the nets and had the courage-and-willingness of developing a skill, which is sans in current lot of cricketers hence this is the period where if cricket requires to initiate after a break, it requires hard workout.
Relaxation Fatigueness
This is the biggest threat, since March 15, all cricketers have been on idle state, therefore when there is going to be a stir on idleness with sudden impact, is going to breakdown the bowlers hence it is the case of muscle memory, as they have not regularly been practicing because it was not required given current scenarios, hence ICC has opted for 2 to 3 months practice period for bowlers to get into rhythm.
Ball tempering or THE charm of keeping balance between bat and ball
This is the major bone of contention because right now when we are under confinement known as Quarantined, there were several things in the game of cricket, which WE USED to take it as ordinarily and nothing to be taken of great importance, but now as soon as competitive cricket is supposed to be resumed, although I am personally unsure of exact tenure when, but it is expected whenever the same is going to be resumed, it is surely going to be a revamped one, as the life post pandemic is surely going to be updated and hence we need to take account of the changes we (those who're involved in competitive cricket like club or the regional cricket), for which we need to get ourselves to be accustomed, otherwise the transition period is surely going to be a painful experience and changing ambiance on the playing fields.
The situation might again be reverting back to that era where ICC's rules and regulations might again be turning towards favouring the batsman. Many of the analysts and players (both current and former cricketers) claiming that scenarios might differ alot, and hence many of the players might opt to go towards batting end from bowling.
Social Distancing
We might be the last of this
generation who used to enjoy
the exuberant and animated
celebrations on the cricketing
field
This is going to be a major factor for which a cricketing fan swivel towards cricketing grounds, waiting for hours on security check points before allowing to be seated on the stadium seats, just because they want their team to win and furthermore the main thing is watching their favourites to perform and while performing, they want them to celebrate and to be animated, which is at most of the times is like earning a million dollars, and hence under the futuristic scenario, we are not going to watch such celebrations, nor hugs, neither showing emotions on the field, which is a hard tablet to be swallowed for an average cricketing fan.
Murdering the bowlers
As per interview of veteran Indian bowler Asish Nehra; bowlers when unable to shine the ball or making the ball heavy from one end, by using the Saliva/تھوک/लार applied on the cricket ball, which enabled bowlers to enable a proper balance between bat and the ball, which was inaugurated by the Pakistani bowlers in order to take advantage of batting friendly conditions in Pakistani grounds and to have some bone of contention for bowlers. Furthermore, the seed sowed by our seniors in 1970s like the lights of Sarfraz Nawaz and Jalaluddin (who scored the world's first Hat-trick in Hyderabad Sindh) were reaped by Imran Khan followed by Wasim Akram, Waqar Younis, Aqib Javed which is further taught to Shoaib Akhtar, Muhammad Zahid, Azhar Mahmood and one of my personal favourite all-rounder Abdul Razzaq, just because they could make the ball to ask question(s) to the batsmen because of which the
balance which was disturbed and favoured the batters mostly, became balanced and hence it was initially termed as cheating which was dramatically changed to art when England in 2005 in their own backyard won the Ashes series against their rivals Australia on the basis of their bowling performances and England got their TODAY's share of greatest fast bowling performances from their bowlers like Fred Flintoff, G Jones, and James Anderson to be named some, who emerged as same cricketing figures for England cricket like Shahid Afridi, Wasim Akram, Waqar Younis, Moin Khan, and Rashid Latif etc. for Pakistan and Pakistan cricket.
From cheating to art
This was the time period where England cricket started to emerge as a complete team and furthermore during Pakistan's tour to England in 1992 time period, the 2005 edition of "art" was deemed as cheating at that time, and hence it was like prosecution of Pakistan's pace battery namely the Great 2 W's.
Returning back from history to post pandemic situation
Using Wax instead of Saliva
What is ball-tampering? When you scratch the ball on one side with your nail, bottle cap, with your spikes or any other means. But that does not make the ball reverse. You have to use saliva, sweat, murray mints etc. to not just shine the ball, but also make the other side heavy. That is how you traditionally get reverse swing.
All time greats of modern bowling are suggesting post
pandemic bowling conditions might take away the
balance between bat and the ball.
The other significant thing to keep in mind is fast bowlers need to practise using the artificial substances that will be permitted during a match under the umpire's supervision. You can't just expect fast bowlers to arrive at a Test match and suddenly start swinging the ball even conventionally.
Bowlers need to have the experience of using these artificial substances, like wax or shoe polish, you are talking about to shine ball and understand its behaviour. Also different balls - Kookaburra, SG Test, Dukes - will behave differently on different surfaces. So there are plenty of unknowns as far as I am concerned.
How many times am I allowed to approach the umpire to use the artificial substance to shine the ball? When we put saliva, at times I would rub that after every second or third delivery. There are different ways to shine the ball. Sometimes you don't shine the other side completely, especially if your ball has landed on the seam. Sometimes the ball goes to boundary or into the stands and comes back damaged, then you shine the ball in a different way.
You shine a Kookaburra in a different way, a Dukes in a different way and you shine SG Test in a different way. You shine a new ball differently. When the ball is old and it is reversing. sometimes you put more sweat. When the ball is not reversing you are only using spit. When there is a new ball you only put very, very little spit wherever there is a scratch. What I'm trying to say is there are several different ways of shining the ball.
By permitting artificial substances to aid swing, the ICC is going back on its own rules. But as far as I am concerned allowing wax, vaseline etc on the ball is not exactly equivalent to ball-tampering. If it actually says go ahead and rough the ball from the other side, then probably the bowlers will welcome the move. Because with a bit of practice, the bowlers will dominate the batsmen, who are bound to say it is unfair. But if you are saying the artificial substance is allowed to be used only on the shiny side and the other side cannot be touched, then you might see more instances of teams piling huge totals.
Personally I feel not allowing the use of sweat or saliva is once again murdering the bowlers.
An allegation without solid proof is ethically unacceptable thing which
Mr. Roy has done
My question is why Gora's always accuse Pakistanis off a 'baseless' accusation of tempering the ball, as always? I admit there have been instances where the Ancestral Pakistani bowlers did so and there is no denying that but when there is no proof of the same, accusing someone off such insulting the whole nation, no doubt it was done in the past but the current Pakistani breed of bowlers unable to do so because of the current rules and regulations and the two balls from each end defies bowlers to do so, and the exception is atmospheric support, air resistance, and dusty ambiance which could support such swinging, where Karachi is no exception, because those who have been to Karachi or live in this city would definitely admit that we experience four seasons in a day, especially during the transition period where the weather at Karachi city is under transition in between Winters, Spring and somewhat Autumn therefore we have been experiencing both Winters, Springs and Autumns in span of 24 hours. We wake up in cold so that we need to switch off our fans, by 10 am in the morning, it is slightly warm like in springs, and by the mid-noon, it is touching 30s and by evening it is moist because later on we have the dew factor, therefore there are natural instances by which a cricket ball can swing and that too with the fact that mostly Karachi and its sister city i.e. Hyderabad Sindh are known for the evening winds which are both soothing and calming.
In that regards, if Mr. Roy thinks that pointing fingers only at Pakistanis would do them some harm, he has been living under the stones I guess, because this is the same thing Freddy Flintoff did and was awarded with loads of trophies and monuments citing he is a magician etc. I don't have any grudge with that but the fact is if we are accepting his achievement as achievement that better accept others achievement as achievement too. There is a give-and-take-rule for everything, same rules applies here.
What should the PSL Management be doing?
They should refrain players be involved in such conversations, because such things occur in nick of angry minds' therefore this is the high responsibility of the on-field invigilators i.e. the umpires for avoiding such unpleasant and sour taste experiences on the field. The fault lies with them instead of the players because it was the incapable gesture of these invigilators because of which this thing occurred. SO the PCB and PSL management should look into this on a serious note.
