Cricket Players Need To Stop Spitting On Their Balls
BBC - Players are likely to be banned from using saliva to shine the ball by the International Cricket Council when the sport resumes after the coronavirus pandemic, but the application of sweat will still be allowed.
The governing body's cricket committee heard medical advice that suggests it is highly unlikely coronavirus can be transmitted through sweat, but there is an elevated risk through saliva.
...There will be no cricket in the UK until at least 1 July, but England's men's team have returned to individual training this week with the first Test of the summer potentially coming behind closed doors against West Indies on 8 July.
I took on the role of Barstool Sports' Chief Cricket Corespondent last year. I fell in love with the game for about a month or so, which is several weeks longer than most things I end up caring about. And as the Chief Cricket Corespondent, I clearly want the sport to return as quickly as possible. These last few months without cricket have been--well they haven't really been all that different since I kinda forgot that I'm a cricket fan. But now that I remember I'm a huge cricket guy? These last few months have been unbearable. We need the sport back in our lives and I'll lose my goddamn mind if we have to wait any longer than the first week of July.
So in order for any of that to happen, cricket players need to stop spitting on their balls.
Listen, fellas. I know it gets you going. I know it feels like it's part of your routine now and you simply don't receive the same level of satisfaction without it. I get that you don't even remember what it feels like to not have saliva all over your balls. But what this pandemic has shown us is that we all need to be willing to make a few personal sacrifices for the benefit of the whole. And hopefully if we make these sacrifices now and get through this whole ordeal as cautiously as possible now, we can get back to spitting all over our balls again in the future.
But for real, cricket kicks ass and I still very much look forward to the day that I understand all the rules instead of just having to make them up in my head as I watch along.