View-Counterview: Should cricket move towards controlled ball tampering?

Law 41.2.3 of the MCC Laws of Cricket rules a player to have committed an offence if he takes any action to wilfully change the condition of the ball. However, the fielder is permitted to polish the ball provided he/she uses no "artificial substance" to do so. Together saliva and sweat have 'naturally' met bowlers' demands to have one side of the ball shinier thereby allow faster airflow and facilitate the physics of swing.

The COVID-19 Coronavirus has of course exposed the dangers of applying saliva on the ball, its high risk of transmission forcing the ICC cricket committee into