The International Cricket Council (ICC) on Tuesday made the ban on the use of saliva to polsih the ball a permanent affair, while also introducing a clause whereby any "unfair" and "deliberate movement" while the bowler is running in to bowl could now result in the umpire awarding five penalty runs to the batting side, in addition to a call of `dead ball`. The ICC has announced several changes to its `playing conditions` after the Chief Executives` Committee (CEC) ratified the recommendations from the Sourav Ganguly-led Men`s Cricket Committee.

The main changes to the playing conditions come into effect from October 1, 2022, which means they will be applicable in the ICC T20 World Cup 2022 in Australia from October 16. In a statement on the use of saliva to polish the ball, ICC said, "This prohibition has been in place for over two years in international cricket as a Covid-related temporary measure and it is considered appropriate for the ban to be made permanent." On the issue of unfair movement by the fielding side, the new ICC rule says, "Any unfair and deliberate movement while the bowler is running in to bowl could now result in the umpire awarding five penalty runs to the batting side, in addition to a call of `dead ball`."