West Indian Ottis Gibson, Bangladesh’s bowling coach, has emphasised the need for the fast bowlers to hone their old-ball skills in order to be successful in the post-COVID19 world.
Gibson has further stressed on the need for a plan of action to be implemented in a way that fast bowlers get the opportunity to use the old ball, particularly given the lack of exposure in local and domestic cricket in Bangladesh.
The International Cricket Council (ICC) has confirmed interim changes to its playing regulations in the recent past that included a ban on the use of saliva to shine the ball. It follows, theoretically, that the ball is likely to get old more quickly than it did before.
According to the ICC, the umpires will be initially lenient for the players to get accustomed to the new rules. However, subsequent misdemeanours will result in a warning for the team.
In addition, the accidental use of saliva will be followed by the protocol of the umpires cleaning and sanitizing the ball before the resumption of play.
Gibson, who joined Bangladesh in January 2020 for a period of two years, has been proactive about taking on post-COVID cricket and has thereby insisted on the need for domestic pacers to gain old-ball exposure, in order to acquire the experience and expertise to potentially implement it in international cricket in future.
Bangladesh’s pace duo, Abu Jayed and Ebadat Hossain have echoed Gibson’s sentiments and line of reasoning, reiterating that they need to be more effective with the old ball in the near future.
Gibson maintained that he was quite confident about the fast bowling unit of Bangladesh and credited High-Performance coach Chamapaka Ramanayke for grooming the youngsters.
