KARACHI: Legendary Pakistan paceman Wasim Akram warned Wednesday that bowlers would become “robots” after cricket officials temporarily banned shining the ball with saliva as a coronavirus precaution.
Bowlers traditionally get the ball to move or swing in the air by applying shine to one side using sweat or saliva.
The International Cricket Council, however, has temporarily banned the practice over virus transmission fears as teams prepare to return to the pitch in the coming weeks.
Players can still apply sweat to the ball.
“It will make bowlers robots, coming and bowling without swing,” Akram told AFP, saying they would have to be patient and wait for the ball to age naturally.
“It’s a quizzical situation for me as I grew up using saliva to shine the ball and to swing it,” he added.
“I am all for precautions in these tough times, so bowlers have to wait for the ball to get old and rough for them to get swing.
Sweat alone was unlikely to generate swing as in some countries it was too cold, said Akram.
“Sweat is just something of an add-on, a top-up. Too much use of sweat will leave the cricket ball too wet,” he said.
Akram, who took 414 Test and 502 one-day international wickets in a storied career, believes artificial substance could potentially help as he encouraged officials to keep searching for alternatives.
“I believe that they will need to find a reasonable solution. Artificial substances like vaseline could be used to swing the ball but how much of it?
“Let’s see, we have this England versus the West Indies series to judge how it goes, because I have never experienced this thing.”
International cricket resumes with England hosting the West Indies in a Test series later this month.
Akram said suggestions that limited ball-tampering be allowed should also be considered by officials.
“When can you tamper the ball? Right from the first over or after 20-25 overs? They will need to sit down and do brainstorming,” he added.
“The game is already tilted more in favor of the batsmen.”
Pakistan’s Akram warns saliva ban will make bowlers ‘robots’
https://arab.news/p8725
Pakistan’s Akram warns saliva ban will make bowlers ‘robots’
- Players can still apply sweat to the ball
- International Cricket Council has temporarily banned the practice over virus transmission fears
Ravaglia heroics lead Bologna to Italian Super Cup final in Riyadh
- Despite falling behind early, Bologna equalized in the 34th minute before prevailing on penalties
RIYADH: It was a night of shared football culture in Riyadh as Inter Milan and Bologna met in the second 2025/26 Italian Super Cup semi-final. The travelling Inter support brought their drums, colour and constant noise, blending with Saudi Inter fans to create a lively atmosphere inside the stadium.
The match began at a blistering pace, with Inter taking the lead less than two minutes after kick-off. Marcus Thuram powered home from close range after meeting an accurate cross from Alessandro Bastoni to score the opening goal of the night.
Inter immediately searched for a second, with Ange-Yoan Bonny going close in the fourth minute, feinting past Torbjorn Heggem before dragging his effort just wide of the post.
After Inter’s early barrage, Bologna began to grow into the contest, with Jens Odgaard leading much of the offence. Goalkeeper Josep Martinez was called into action to preserve Inter’s advantage.
The energy among Inter supporters continued to build, with fans jumping in unison and lifting their scarves as they urged their side forward in search of a second goal.
That momentum was checked in the 34th minute, when a VAR review resulted in a penalty for Bologna. Riccardo Orsolini slotted the spot-kick coolly past Martinez to bring I Rossoblu back level.
Inter pushed forward after the break as the game opened up, but there was no getting past Bologna goalkeeper Federico Ravaglia, who made four saves in the second half alone.
Hope briefly returned for the Nerazzurri when Bonny was brought down in the box in the 56th minute, only for the initial appeal for a penalty to be overturned following consultation with VAR.
Less than 10 minutes later, the stadium rose to welcome Lautaro Martinez. Brought on alongside Andy Diouf and Davide Frattesi in a triple substitution, Lautaro made an immediate impact but was unable to find the decisive goal before the end of regular time.
Bologna came within moments of snatching a winner in injury time, but goalkeeper Martinez reacted sharply to make a crucial save, sending the semi-final into a penalty shootout.
The shootout began evenly, with both sides converting their penalties before goalkeepers intervened at either end. Nicolo Barella then fired over the crossbar, only for Juan Miranda to mirror the miss moments later.
Inter’s struggles from the spot continued as Ravaglia made his second save of the shootout, before Jonathan Rowe gave Bologna the advantage. Stefan de Vrij converted to extend the contest, but Ciro Immobile struck decisively to send Bologna through.
The Rossoblu will now face Napoli in the Italian Super Cup final at Al-Awwal Park on December 22, after the Serie A champions defeated AC Milan 2-0 in the first semi-final.
