The ICC's temporary COVID-era ban on using saliva to shine the cricket ball became permanent in 2022, eliminating a century-old ball-maintenance practice and permanently disadvantaging bowlers — a decision that continues to divide the sport.
For over a century, applying saliva to the cricket ball was fundamental to swing bowling. One side of the ball is kept shiny through saliva and polishing; the other side is left rough. The aerodynamic difference between the two sides causes the ball to swing in flight — conventional swing when the ball is new, reverse swing when the ball is old and the rough side becomes the leading surface.
Saliva was preferred over sweat because it is stickier and more effective at maintaining the lacquer. The loss of saliva meant bowlers could only use sweat, which is less effective, particularly for reverse swing in the 40-60 over period.
When COVID protocols required the ban, bowlers adjusted as best they could. The general view was that the ban was temporary and necessary. When the ICC consulted on making it permanent in 2021, the bowlers' unions and coaches expected a reversal.
The ICC's review commissioned data from matches played under the saliva ban in 2020-21, comparing average run rates and bowling figures to pre-COVID periods. Their analysis suggested minimal impact. Bowlers and analysts disputed the methodology.
When cricket resumed after the COVID lockdown in July 2020, the ICC introduced a temporary ban on using saliva to shine the ball — the centuries-old practice of applying saliva to one side of the ball to maintain its shine and enable conventional and reverse swing. The medical rationale was preventing the spread of COVID-19 through fielders applying mouth saliva to an object then handled by everyone. Bowlers immediately argued the ban fundamentally altered the balance between bat and ball. When COVID restrictions eased worldwide in 2021, the ICC reviewed the ban and — controversially — made it permanent in 2022. Bowlers and fast bowling coaches protested vigorously, arguing that swing bowling, particularly reverse swing, had been permanently disadvantaged.
July 2020: Saliva ban introduced as COVID precaution in English bio-bubble Tests
Late 2020: International cricket resumes globally; saliva ban universal
2021: ICC announces review of the temporary ban
April 2022: ICC announces permanent ban — decision shocks bowling community
James Anderson, Dale Steyn, and Wasim Akram publicly criticise the permanent ban
Ball-tampering incidents increase as players seek alternative methods — ICC increases monitoring
July 2020
COVID saliva ban introduced in England Test cricket
November 2020
Ban universal across all international cricket
2021
ICC conducts review of temporary ban
April 2022
ICC announces permanent saliva ban
2022-present
Reverse swing declines; bowling coaches adapt methods
“This rule is a disaster for fast bowling. Reverse swing is one of cricket's greatest skills and saliva was fundamental to developing it. We are killing an art form.”
“The ban fundamentally changes what is possible for swing bowlers. The ICC's data showing minimal impact does not match what bowlers experience on the pitch.”
“The saliva ban has been in place for two years and our data does not show significant changes in match outcomes. We are satisfied with the permanent adoption.”
The permanent ban changed how bowling coaches approach ball maintenance at all levels. Teams now rely on sweat, particularly from the bowling hand, and more aggressive conventional polishing. Reverse swing declined as an art form in Test cricket — younger bowlers entering the sport have never practised with saliva.
Wasim Akram, cricket's greatest exponent of reverse swing, stated publicly that the ban "kills reverse swing" and called on the ICC to reconsider. Several county and state teams reported bowlers taking longer to develop reverse swing techniques.
The permanent ban remains in force and highly controversial. Bowlers argue it disproportionately benefits batsmen, particularly in conditions where the ball does not seam. The ICC justified the permanent adoption on hygiene grounds, claiming it improved conditions for players without significantly altering match outcomes — a claim many fast bowlers strongly dispute.
The saliva ban's permanent adoption may represent the most significant alteration to bowling conditions since the introduction of helmets changed batting in the 1970s. It fundamentally altered the balance between bat and ball — a balance that had evolved organically over 150 years.
The ongoing debate about ball maintenance — what is legitimate, what constitutes ball tampering, what sweat application is allowed — became more complex after the ban. Critics argue the ICC created a regulatory gap that is harder to police than the simple, ancient practice of applying saliva.
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