Dom Sibley accidentally puts saliva on the ball in the second Test against West Indies

After suffering a four-wicket defeat in the first Test of the three-match series, England retaliated in the second match and amassed a dominant 469-run total in the first innings. Jason Holder-led West Indies, after winning the toss at Old Trafford, put the hosts to bat first in the hope of repeating their bowling heroics of the first Test.

However, England, led by Dom Sibley (120) and Ben Stokes (176), countervailed West Indies bowling force to stitch a mammoth total on the board as Joe Root declared the innings at 469/9. West Indies, in reply, gathered 118 for the loss of two wickets at Lunch on Day 4 of the Test.

Apart from the cricketing action, the series also marked the return of international cricket amid COVID-19 pandemic and all players were seen following the interim regulations laid by the ICC. The new ICC post-coronavirus rules also halted the usage of saliva to curb the risk of coronavirus transmission.

England players brought the incident to umpire’s notice

However, it was evident that the players are still not accustomed to the saliva ban as Dom Sibley, before the Lunch, accidentally put some saliva on the ball. The umpires were informed about it by England players and Michael Gough unsealed a sanitised tissue and rubbed the ball on both sides. By the looks of it, the ingrained habit of using saliva to shine the ball will take a while to go off the players’ mind. In cases of players breaching the saliva ban, two warnings are given before a five-run penalty is applied.

England, hoping to bounce back after suffering defeat in the first Test, will be aiming to curb West Indies in order to level the series 1-1. The last and final Test of the series will be played on the very same ground, Old Trafford, from July 24. Post the West Indies series, England are slated to lock horns with visitors Pakistan in three T20Is and as many Tests. The ICC regulations including the saliva ban will be applicable in the subsequent series as well.

“Players will not be permitted to use saliva to shine the ball. If a player does apply saliva to the ball, the umpires will manage the situation with some leniency during an initial period of adjustment for the players, but subsequent instances will result in the team receiving a warning.

A team can be issued up to two warnings per innings but repeated use of saliva on the ball will result in a 5-run penalty to the batting side. Whenever saliva is applied to the ball, the umpires will be instructed to clean the ball before play recommences,” ICC had stated in its press release last month.