For generations, shining a cricket ball was almost a routine part of fast bowling. A fielder would apply saliva to one side of the ball, rub it against his clothing, and keep working on that same side throughout the innings.
Then 2020 changed the way cricket maintained the ball.
When international cricket returned after the COVID-19 interruption, the ICC prohibited players from using saliva to shine the ball. Initially, it was introduced as a temporary health-related regulation, with umpires instructed to allow players some time to adjust.
Two years later, the experiment became permanent. In September 2022, the ICC announced that the prohibition on using saliva to polish the ball would remain part of international cricket's playing conditions.
What makes the story interesting, however, is that the ICC also noted that players had adapted by using sweat instead, and that this method had proved effective.
So the real question is not simply:
“Can a cricket ball still swing without saliva?”
The real question is: How much did the ban actually change ball maintenance and swing bowling?
To answer that, we need to look at the rules, the science and, most importantly, what actually happened in real matches before and after the saliva ban.
Under the current Laws of Cricket, a fielder may polish the ball on clothing provided no artificial substance is used and the only natural substance used is sweat. A wet ball may also be dried on an umpire-approved piece of cloth. Deliberately changing the condition of the ball is an offence under MCC Law 41.3.
The important point is that the saliva ban did not ban legal ball maintenance. It removed saliva from that process.
MCC Law 41.3 is the main reference for the current legal boundaries around changing the condition of the ball.
1. Why Was Saliva Banned in the First Place?
The saliva restriction was not originally introduced because cricket suddenly decided that polishing the ball was unfair. It was introduced during the COVID-19 pandemic because saliva was considered a potential route for virus transmission.
On 18 May 2020, the ICC Cricket Committee recommended prohibiting saliva from being used to polish the ball. The committee noted that medical advice considered transmission through sweat highly unlikely, which is why sweat was not prohibited.
ICC's original 2020 recommendation explains the medical reasoning behind the change.
What Happened When Cricket Returned?
When international cricket resumed in July 2020, the new regulation immediately created a practical problem for fast bowlers. Bowlers had spent decades learning how to maintain the ball with saliva; suddenly, that routine disappeared.
The ICC's initial regulations allowed umpires to show some leniency while players adjusted. After repeated violations, however, a team could receive warnings, and continued use of saliva could eventually result in five penalty runs to the batting side.
The ICC's June 2020 interim regulations explain this original enforcement system.
But Did the Ball Stop Swinging?
This was probably the biggest concern among fast bowlers and cricket fans. The first real answer came almost immediately.
Real Match Example: England vs West Indies, Southampton, 2020
The first Test of England's home summer in 2020 was played under the new COVID-era ball-maintenance rules. Saliva was not allowed, but players could still use sweat to polish the ball. Despite the new restriction, the ball moved through the air.
The manufacturer of the Dukes ball, used in England, later said that the Southampton Test had produced enough movement to remove doubts about whether swing bowling could survive under the new protocols.
Reuters' report published after the Southampton Test recorded that the ball had moved enough to erase doubts about swing bowling under the new rules.
This match therefore became an important early piece of evidence: removing saliva did not remove swing.
2. What Can Players Legally Do to Maintain the Ball?
The modern rule is actually clearer than many people realise. Under MCC Law 41.3, a fielder may polish the ball on their clothing as long as no artificial substance is used, the only natural substance used is sweat, and the polishing does not waste time.
The same law also allows mud to be removed under umpire supervision and allows a wet ball to be dried on a piece of cloth approved by the umpires.
MCC Law 41.3 provides the current wording.
| Method | Status | What the Law Allows |
|---|---|---|
| Natural sweat | Legal | Can be used as the natural substance when polishing. |
| Polishing on clothing | Legal | Allowed provided no artificial substance is used and only sweat is used. |
| Drying a wet ball | Legal | Can be done on an umpire-approved piece of cloth. |
| Saliva | Illegal | The use of saliva to polish the ball is prohibited. |
| Artificial substances | Illegal | Deliberately changing the ball's condition is an offence. |
| Deliberate seam or surface damage | Illegal | Players cannot deliberately alter the ball's condition. |
There is an important distinction here: natural wear is part of cricket; deliberate damage is not.
3. Why Does a Cricket Ball Swing?
Before comparing pre-2020 and post-2020 cricket, we need to understand what actually makes the ball move.
A cricket ball is not perfectly symmetrical from an aerodynamic point of view. Its raised seam divides the ball into two hemispheres, and the condition of those surfaces affects the airflow around it.
When a bowler presents the seam at an angle, the seam can disturb the airflow on one side while the smoother surface behaves differently on the other. This difference in boundary-layer behaviour produces an aerodynamic force that moves the ball sideways.
This is not simply a case of “shiny side equals swing”. The speed of the ball, seam angle, surface roughness and surrounding atmospheric flow all matter.
Researchers at the University of Bath tested cricket balls under controlled wind-tunnel conditions and found that surface condition had a substantial effect on swing.
Their experiments found that conventional swing was most obvious with a new, polished ball, while reverse swing appeared with a worn ball at high bowling speeds.
4. Conventional Swing: Before 2020 vs After 2020
Conventional swing is generally associated with the newer or well-maintained ball. Before the saliva ban, the fielding side would repeatedly polish one side of the ball while allowing the other side to naturally deteriorate. Saliva was simply one of the traditional tools used in that maintenance process.
Pre-2020: Saliva Was Part of the Routine
Fast bowlers did not need to think about whether saliva itself was legal. It was part of normal ball maintenance to maintain a useful difference between the two sides of the ball.
Post-2020: The Method Changed, Not the Basic Aerodynamics
After the saliva restriction, sweat became the natural replacement.
Match Example: Southampton 2020
England and West Indies played the first Test of the post-COVID international era at Southampton in July 2020. The players operated without saliva, yet the ball produced meaningful movement.
So Was Swing Weaker After 2020?
There is no reliable international database that gives the exact average lateral movement of every delivery before and after the saliva ban in centimetres.
“The average conventional swing was 3.1 cm before the ban and 2.6 cm after it.”
Stating numbers like that without ball-tracking datasets is scientifically misleading. What we can state with confidence is: the ICC concluded that sweat proved effective, while MCC later stated that international data showed very little impact on the amount of swing.
MCC's explanation of the 2022 Law change specifically notes that international data showed very little impact on the amount of swing and that players were using sweat effectively.
5. Conventional Swing: What Actually Matters?
The most important factors are not simply “saliva” or “sweat”:
- Condition of the ball
- Seam presentation
- Bowling speed
- Surface roughness
- Atmospheric flow
- Bowler's wrist and release position
The University of Bath research separated these factors and found conventional swing was strongest with a new, polished ball and reduced as the ball accumulated wear.
The Important Point
Saliva helped maintain the ball. It was not the force that physically made the ball swing. The swing came from the interaction between the ball's surface, seam and airflow.
6. Reverse Swing: The Bigger Test of the Saliva Ban
Reverse swing is generally associated with an older, worn cricket ball bowled at high speeds. As the ball ages, one side is maintained smooth while the other becomes naturally rough. At high enough speeds, the airflow across these surfaces reverses the direction of lateral movement.
Detailed mechanics are covered in University of Bath: Practical Perspective of Cricket Ball Swing.
7. A Real Pre-Ban Reverse-Swing Example
Pre-Ban Example: Mohammed Shami and India's 2019 Test Season
Mohammed Shami was already one of India's most dangerous exponents of late movement before the saliva restriction came into existence. During India's 2019 home series against South Africa, Shami provided a clear example of older-ball movement in an era when saliva polishing was still standard.
For match statistics, visit ESPNcricinfo's India vs South Africa 2019 series archive.
8. Post-Ban Reverse Swing: James Anderson in Chennai, 2021
India vs England, Chennai — First Test, 2021
Defending a target in Chennai on Day 5, James Anderson produced one of the most memorable reverse-swing spells of the post-saliva era, dismissing Shubman Gill and clean-bowling Ajinkya Rahane in a single over.
Read the BBC's analysis of Anderson's over delivery by delivery, along with the NDTV/PTI report on Anderson's post-match comments where he confirmed reverse swing was decisive.
9. Mohammed Shami Again: Delhi, 2023
India vs Australia, Delhi — Second Test, 2023
Mohammed Shami took 4 wickets as Australia were bowled out for 263 in Delhi. Match coverage specifically highlighted Shami finishing the innings with reverse-swinging deliveries.
See the Times of India match report and the official ESPNcricinfo scorecard.
10. What Do the Pre- and Post-Ban Examples Actually Tell Us?
| Period | Match Example | What We Can Reliably Say |
|---|---|---|
| Before 2020 | India vs South Africa, 2019 | Traditional saliva-based ball maintenance was permitted. |
| 2020 | England vs West Indies, Southampton | Ball moved consistently under new saliva restrictions. |
| 2021 | India vs England, Chennai | Anderson produced a documented reverse-swing spell. |
| 2023 | India vs Australia, Delhi | Shami took four wickets with late reverse-swinging deliveries. |
The evidence does not support the idea that the saliva ban eliminated reverse swing. Elite bowlers adapted their maintenance routines without losing aerodynamic movement.
11. Air Density: Does Match Location Matter?
Air density changes with atmospheric pressure, temperature and altitude. The basic physical relationship is:
| Condition | Example | Atmospheric Environment | Possible Aerodynamic Effect |
|---|---|---|---|
| Near sea level | Mumbai / Chennai | Higher atmospheric pressure and denser air | Greater air density changes aerodynamic forces on the ball. |
| Higher altitude | Centurion | Lower atmospheric pressure and thinner air | Aerodynamic resistance is reduced compared to sea level. |
Air density changes the flight environment; it does not independently create swing.
12. Humidity: One of Cricket's Biggest Myths
Fans often assume humidity makes a ball swing. However, University of Bath experimental research confirmed that humidity in isolation has no significant effect on swing.
So What About Cloudy Conditions?
Cloud cover reduces surface pitch heating, reducing atmospheric thermal convection currents. Less turbulent air helps preserve the delicate boundary-layer airflow along the ball's seam.
13. Why Bowlers Get Different Swing Across Venues
Identical deliveries can behave differently across grounds due to changes in air temperature, barometric pressure, ground altitude, ambient wind, and pitch abrasiveness.
14. Conventional Swing vs Reverse Swing
| Feature | Conventional Swing | Reverse Swing |
|---|---|---|
| Ball condition | Usually newer or well-preserved | Usually older and worn |
| Surface difference | Maintained smooth side vs standard side | Polished side vs naturally dry, rough side |
| Speed requirement | Standard fast-bowling speeds (125–138 km/h) | High bowling speeds (140+ km/h) |
| Seam role | Extremely important for air trips | Important, alongside surface roughness differential |
| Saliva required? | No | No |
| Post-ban proof | Southampton Test (2020) | Anderson (Chennai 2021), Shami (Delhi 2023) |
Refer to the University of Bath research portal for aerodynamic formulas and wind-tunnel data.
15. Did the Saliva Ban Actually Hurt Swing Bowling?
The saliva ban changed the routine of ball maintenance, but not the aerodynamics that cause lateral deviation. ICC findings, MCC data, and post-ban match spells by Anderson and Shami show that lateral deviation remains alive and well.
16. What Can Fast Bowlers Do Today?
- Keep the ball legally polished: Use natural sweat and clothing friction as permitted.
- Protect the smooth side: Maintain the smooth hemisphere without deliberately damaging the opposite side.
- Avoid artificial substances: Applying mints, wax, or lotions violates fair play rules.
- Let natural wear occur: Allow the pitch to rough up one side naturally.
- Use seam position intelligently: Match release angles and speeds to ball age.
- Adapt to conditions: Factor in air density, cloud cover, and pitch abrasiveness.
17. Penalties for Deliberately Altering the Ball
Under MCC Law 41.3.4–41.3.5, if umpires detect unfair alteration:
- The batting side is awarded 5 penalty runs.
- The ball is replaced immediately.
- Repeated offences by the same team can result in the bowler being suspended from bowling for the remainder of the match.
18. Frequently Asked Questions
Can bowlers use sweat to shine a cricket ball?
Yes. Under MCC Law 41.3, a fielder may polish the ball on their clothing provided no artificial substance is used, the only natural substance used is sweat, and the polishing wastes no time.
Can players use saliva on the cricket ball?
No. The ICC made the prohibition on using saliva to polish the ball permanent from 1 October 2022.
Can a wet cricket ball be dried during a match?
Yes. MCC Law 41.3 allows a wet ball to be dried on a piece of cloth approved by the umpires.
Can players use lip balm, wax or other artificial substances?
No. Players cannot deliberately use an artificial substance to change the condition of the ball. MCC Law 41.3 strictly restricts polishing to natural sweat.
Does the saliva ban mean conventional swing is weaker?
There is no reliable universal percentage reduction in conventional swing. MCC stated that international data showed very little impact on the amount of swing after the change.
Does reverse swing still happen after the saliva ban?
Yes. Post-ban international cricket has continued to produce documented examples of reverse-swing bowling, including James Anderson's spell in Chennai in 2021.
Does humidity automatically make the ball swing more?
No. Experimental research from the University of Bath found no significant effect from humidity in isolation.
Is there an exact average swing distance before and after the saliva ban?
Not from normal international match scorecards. Exact lateral deviation requires tracking datasets or wind-tunnel test data.
Conclusion
The saliva ban changed one of cricket's oldest habits, but it did not eliminate swing bowling. Southampton (2020), Anderson in Chennai (2021), and Shami in Delhi (2023) prove that surface differential, wrist position, and aerodynamic physics govern movement.
You can ban saliva. You cannot ban aerodynamics.
References
- ICC — Interim regulation changes approved, 2020
- ICC — Changes to Playing Conditions, 2022
- MCC — Law 41: Unfair Play
- University of Bath — Practical Perspective of Cricket Ball Swing
- BBC Sport — James Anderson's reverse-swing spell in Chennai
- NDTV/PTI — Anderson on reverse swing in Chennai
- Times of India — Shami's four-wicket haul in Delhi, 2023
- ESPNcricinfo — India vs Australia, Delhi 2023 scorecard
- Reuters / Indian Express — Southampton 2020 and swing under the saliva ban
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