Cricket: Umpires disinfect ball, after England's Dom Bess uses saliva during West Indies test

Umpires were forced to disinfect the match ball during the second test between England and West Indies, after Dom Bess accidentally used saliva to polish the ball.

To ensure player safety during the coronavirus pandemic, the International Cricket Council (ICC) has banned the technique of using saliva to shine a ball to produce movement. 

Before Bess bowled the  penultimate over of the morning session on day four, onfield umpire Michael Gough took a disinfectant wipe from his pocket and rubbed down the shiny side of the ball, before handing it back to the English bowler, who admitted to accidentally using saliva.

This was the first time umpires had intervened to sanitise the ball during a cricket match, since the new guidelines were announced last month. 

The new guidelines say only sweat may be used to shine the ball, as saliva is considered a potential carrier of the virus.

Dom Bess.
Dom Bess. Photo credit: Getty

England received a warning for the incident and will be handed a five-run penalty if they are caught doing it again. 

On the field, England finished 37/2 at stumps in their second innings with a 219-run lead against West Indies at Old Trafford. 

Earlier in the day, the Windies were bowled out for 287, after Stuart Broad and Chris Woakes took three wickets each. 

In England's first innings, Ben Stokes scored 176 to help England declare on 469/9. 

West Indies have a 1-0 lead in the three-test series, after winning the first test in Southampton.