Mohammed Shami on Tuesday was pulled up by on-field umpire Virender Sharma during the Duleep Trophy final at the MA Chidambaram Stadium in Chennai, with East Zone receiving a warning over an apparent unfair-play act. The incident happened during the final session on Day 3, with South Zone five wickets down in their chase of East Zone's mammoth first-innings score of 708.
During the 60th over of South Zone's second innings, the two on-field umpires asked fast bowler Shami for the ball. The pacer appeared to want the ball changed. But while it initially seemed that the umpires were inspecting the ball to determine whether it needed to be replaced, replays showed that they were not looking to make a change. Instead, the fielding side was warned over what appeared to be excessive use of sweat to shine the ball.
Later, teammate Mukesh Kumar and vice-captain Vaibhav Sooryavanshi separately approached the umpires to ask about the matter.
What does MCC Law say?
Law 41.3 pertains to 'The match ball: changing its condition' and prohibits players from taking any action that alters the condition of the match ball, unless specifically permitted by the law.
Law 41.3.2.1 specifically permits the use of sweat. It states that a fielder may "polish the ball on his/her clothing provided that no artificial substance is used, that the only natural substance used is sweat, and that such polishing wastes no time."
{{/usCountry}}Law 41.3.2.1 specifically permits the use of sweat. It states that a fielder may "polish the ball on his/her clothing provided that no artificial substance is used, that the only natural substance used is sweat, and that such polishing wastes no time."
{{/usCountry}}Hence, Shami's use of sweat to polish the ball is not, by itself, an offence.
The law, however, does not explicitly refer to 'excess sweat' or prescribe a limit on how much sweat can be used. It does state that umpires can intervene if they suspect a player is attempting to change the condition of the ball beyond what is permitted.
Law 41.3.1 states: "The umpires shall make frequent and irregular inspections of the ball. In addition, they shall immediately inspect the ball if they suspect anyone of attempting to change the condition of the ball, except as permitted in [Law 41.3.2]."
The replays of Tuesday's incident, however, did not reveal the exact conversation between the umpires and the players, making it unclear what specifically prompted the warning.
If the umpires had determined that the condition of the ball had been unfairly changed, Law 41.3.4 allows the opposing captain to request a replacement ball. If a replacement is used, the umpires must select one with comparable wear to the ball before the alleged offence. The bowler's-end umpire must also award five penalty runs to the opposition, irrespective of whether the ball is replaced.
Earlier in the match, East Zone batted for two days to post 708, powered by captain Ishan Kishan's epic 270, a century from Kumar Kushagra and fifties from Abhimanyu Easwaran and Shikhar Mohan.
Shami and Mukesh then picked up two wickets each, while Mohan claimed another as East Zone reduced South Zone to 174/5 before Tilak Varma's half-century took them past the 200-run mark.