Sibley accidentally uses saliva, umpires forced to disinfect ball

England opener Dom Sibley accidentally used saliva to shine the ball in the second Test, which forced the umpires to call for disinfectants.

Umpires Micheal Gough (Left) and Richard Illingworth (Right) inspect the ball after Chris Woakes' 41st over.

In the wake of the coronavirus pandemic, the International Cricket Counil (ICC) has imposed a ban on using saliva to shine the cricket ball. The new rule seemed to have skipped Dom Sibley's mind for a moment as the England opener used saliva on the ball on Sunday during the second Test against West Indies.

Following Chris Woakes' 41st over in West Indies' 1st innings, umpire Michael Gough was quick to notice what Sibley had done with the ball and pulled out a sanitised tissue to clean it on both sides.

According to the new rules, the bowling team will get a warning if saliva is used to shine the ball. If the team attempts the same more than twice, it will be given a five-run penalty.

Both England and West Indies bowlers have found it difficult to get the ball to swing without saliva.