Thaindian News

Melbourne, Aug 18 (ANI): England has identified batsman Paul Collingwood as the man with the least sweaty hands in hot conditions in order to keep the cricket ball dry during the Ashes series, as it will help the fast bowlers to get reverse swing.

England will throw the ball to Collingwood more than any other player in the field as it is relayed back to the bowler, fully aware that the ball must be kept dry to enhance the art of reverse swing for their fast bowlers,

Anointing Collingwood as their chief ball polisher is England’s latest tactic, following on from how they used breath-freshener ‘Murray Mints’ to generate unplayable reverse swing during their 2005 Ashes victory in England.

Former Australian swing bowler Damien Fleming said the Collingwood tactic made perfect sense.

“Pakistan have been doing that sort of thing for years . . . they discovered that (former offspinner) Saqlain Mushtaq was a heavy sweater,” The Courier Mail quoted Fleming, as saying.

“So their great reverse swing bowlers Wasim Akram and Waqar Younis banned him from touching the ball in the field when he wasn’t bowling.

“England’s theory is totally right - you have to keep the ball as dry as possible for it to reverse swing. To achieve reverse swing, one side of the ball has to be totally different to the other, so if there is sweat all over the ball it makes it impossible,” Fleming said. (ANI)