Cricket runs the risk of becoming "pretty boring" if balance is not struck between bat and ball in the wake of the coronavirus-linked ban on using saliva to shine the ball, Australia's premier pacer Mitchell Starc warned on Tuesday. This will also discourage aspiring youngsters to take up fast bowling in future, he reckoned. "We don't want to lose that or make it less even, so there needs to be something in place to keep that ball swinging," Starc told reporters during an online press conference. "Otherwise people aren't going to be watching it and kids aren't going to want to be bowlers. In Australia in the last couple of years we've had some pretty flat wickets, and if that ball's going straight it's a pretty boring contest," he added.

The ICC cricket committee, led by former India captain Anil Kumble, recently pushed for a ban on the use of saliva to combat the coronavirus threat. Starc feels bowlers should be allowed to shine the ball in other ways for the time being. "It's an unusual time for the world and if they're going to remove saliva shining for a portion of time they need to think of something else for that portion of time as well," he said. One of the leading wicket takers with the pink ball, Starc said he is looking forward to playing a day-night Test in the home series against India. In their previous tour in 2018-19, India secured their first-ever Test series win Down Under. Although the visitors had declined to play a day-night game then, in February BCCI president Sourav Ganguly announced that India has agreed to one later this year.