Cricket Ball Shine Maintenance Explained: How Fielders Keep the Ball Swinging
How cricket teams legally maintain the ball's shine to prolong swing bowling — what is permitted (saliva, sweat, rubbing), what is illegal (artificial substances), and how the 2020 saliva ban changed ball maintenance.
Cricket ball maintenance — the process of preserving one side of the ball in a shiny condition while allowing the other to naturally roughen — is a critical part of bowling tactics. A differential between the two sides (one shiny, one rough) is what generates conventional swing in the early innings and reverse swing later. Cricket Law 41.3 permits fielding teams to polish the ball with their sweat and to rub the ball on their clothing — it prohibits applying artificial substances, picking at the seam, or using abrasive material to create roughness beyond natural wear.
What Is Legal
Legal ball maintenance: rubbing the ball on clothing (to polish the shiny side); applying sweat from the face or hands to the shiny side to maintain or enhance the polish; and allowing the rough side to deteriorate naturally through use. Players can be seen throughout a match applying saliva or sweat to one side of the ball and rubbing it vigorously on their trousers — this is legal and has been standard practice for 150 years of cricket. Teams designate specific fielders (often the wicketkeeper, or an experienced bowler) to maintain the ball, ensuring consistent treatment.
The 2020 Saliva Ban
During the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020, the ICC temporarily banned the use of saliva on the ball — a hygiene measure to prevent virus transmission via shared saliva on the ball's surface (which fielders from both teams touch during a match). The saliva ban was intended as temporary but was made permanent in 2022, with the ICC citing improved swing from sweat alone as evidence that saliva was not strictly necessary for ball maintenance. Fast bowling associations and many players objected, arguing that saliva produced more effective shine than sweat and disadvantaged bowlers in hot, dry conditions where players perspire less salty moisture.
Illegal Ball Maintenance
Illegal ball maintenance — ball tampering — includes: using artificial substances (lip balm, sweets, dirt, artificial wax) on the ball; picking at the seam with a fingernail or object to create extra seam movement; using abrasive material to roughen the ball faster than natural play would achieve; and applying dirt from the ground to one side (as occurred in the 2018 sandpaper scandal). Penalties for tampering include a five-run penalty to the batting side and possible disciplinary sanctions for the players involved. The fielding side must hand the ball to the umpire if tampering is suspected; umpires can change the ball.
Frequently asked questions
How do cricket teams legally maintain the ball's shine?
By rubbing one side on clothing and applying sweat from the face/hands to maintain polish. Since 2022, saliva is banned (introduced as a COVID hygiene measure, made permanent). The rough side is allowed to deteriorate naturally through play. This shine differential between sides generates both conventional and reverse swing.
Why was saliva banned on cricket balls?
Temporarily banned in 2020 as a COVID-19 hygiene measure (preventing shared saliva transmission). Made permanent by ICC in 2022. Many pace bowlers and bowling associations objected, arguing saliva produced more effective shine than sweat — particularly in hot climates where sweat composition differs from saliva.
What happens if a team is caught tampering with the ball?
Five-run penalty to the batting side, and the ball is changed at the batting side's discretion. Players caught tampering face disciplinary proceedings under the ICC Code of Conduct — potentially resulting in match bans, fines, and reputation damage. The 2018 sandpaper scandal resulted in Steve Smith and David Warner each receiving 12-month bans.