Will be very clinical: Sangakkara on players dealing with new guidelines

New Delhi, June 5 (IANS) Former Sri Lanka skipper Kumar Sangakkara believes it will be interesting to see how players deal with the latest guidelines put in place by the International Cricket Council (ICC) once cricket resumes amid the COVID-19 pandemic.

All cricketing activities has been suspended since March as a precautionary measure against the spread of coronavirus, which has claimed more than 3.8 lakh lives across the world thus far.

As cricket makes it way for resumption in the upcoming days, the ICC has recommended to stop the usage of saliva to shine the ball. Social distancing guidelines have also been put in place during the matches set to be played behind closed doors.

“For fast bowlers or spinners, shining the ball is an instinctive thing, they have done it over so many years since they were kids,” Sangakkara said while speaking on Star Sports show Cricket Connected.

“Cricket is a social game, most of the time you spend in the dressing room – you talk, you chat.

“This will be a very clinical thing, you come ready to play, no warmups, you do everything right and you go home. So, it will be interesting to see how the players deal with that,” the President of the Marylebone Cricket Club (MCC) added.

International cricket could see its resumption early next month with West Indies travelling to England for a three-Test series beginning July 8, subject to UK government approval.

–IANS

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