Ben Stokes was spoken to by umpire Nitin Menon after inadvertently applying saliva on the ball on the first day of the day/night Test at Ahmedabad.
The ICC’s temporary ban on saliva being used on the ball is still in place. According to the playing conditions: “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.”
They also stipulate that a team can be given up to two warnings per innings, but repeated use can result in a five-run penalty against the fielding side.
TV replays showed that Stokes shined the ball with saliva directly in front of Menon, who then spoke to the England vice-captain.
Stokes isn’t the first international cricketer to use saliva since the ban came into place. In November, Wahab Riaz received a warning for using saliva on the ball in an ODI between Pakistan and Zimbabwe.
An ECB spokesperson told Wisden.com: “Ben was given a warning but both he & the umpires acknowledged it was an inadvertent error on Ben’s part. Ben apologised to the umpire immediately & that was accepted.”
