In the second one-day international series on Wednesday, UAE hitter Alishan Sharafu coated the ball with his saliva when the team was bowling, resulting in a free five runs for the opposition Nepal.
Vinay Jha and Durga Subedi, the on-field umpires, observed Sharafu applying saliva on the ball as per custom, a practise that is now against the rules.
The law was initially enacted in response to the coronavirus outbreak more than two years ago. Under COVID regulations, players were not authorised to utilise saliva. According to the new rules in effect as of October 1, the team would be penalised for the bowler’s performance during the game by awarding the other team with five runs.
The first instance of the rule being put into practise following the modifications was Sharafu’s error.
After having trouble with their batting and failing to surpass the UAE’s 191-mark, Nepal, who ultimately prevailed in the game on home soil, undoubtedly benefited from the error.
The squad lost Arjun Saud and Aasif Sheikh to just 13/2 during the powerplay in the battle to chase down the goal. Rohit Paudel, the interim captain, was knocked out for eight, and Gyanendra Malla (26) dropped to 54/4.
In addition to Gulsan Jha and Sompal Kami, Kushal Bhurtel (35) and Aarif Sheikh (33*) also contributed to the sinking ship.
The visiting team was defeated with 13 balls remaining and a three-wicket loss.
