Ball tampering - things to look for

[wnewing]

This information may be old to you but it was new to me. It may be new to many others so I wanted to share this with you all.

It relates to a certain recent international event and was related to me by a coach who saw a Test player explain the technique to other players.

Ball tampering: rub one certail area vigourously with the thumb. All fielders returning the ball to the bowler rub that one area - about the size of a 50p coin. The ball is not scratched and shows only normal wear and tear. After about 25 overs or so - depending on the ball, this one area becomes soft and absorbs sugary saliva more readily than the rest of the ball. Hey presto, this adds weight to one side and the balls turns more readily.

That's how it's done.

[wisden17]

Well it's one technique, or many that I've heard. Although it seems that this is certainly a very hard one to spot, even more so for umpires to prove (as seems to be the case in cricket these days!)