"It has been revealed soon after the emphatic Australian win against Sri Lanka in the 2007 Cricket World Cup, that the star batsman and man of the match, Adam Gilchrist used a squash ball to improve his grip in his bottom hand. The confusing gestures he made soon after reaching his century before going on to make 149 out of 104 balls was to in fact, that the person who made the suggestion.
In light of the stellar performance of Gilchrist when every other batsman including Matthew Hayden failed to maintain a strike rate of 100%, this so called `squash-ball grip` becomes quite intriguing, if not illegal or cheating, I dare say. Consider this: Wicket keepers are only allowed to wear gloves with no webbing (except between the index finger & thumb). Fielders are
not allowed to wear gloves that might help them grip the ball better. Bowlers are not allowed to wear plaster on their fingers even if there is a genuine injury. Batsmen are only allowed approved gear for protection. A fielder needs to obtain the permission of the umpire prior to
leaving the field. A batsman must obtain the consent of the opposing captain to get a runner, even if there are obvious injuries preventing him from running.
Need I mention about banned substances that enhance performance? Clearly, Gilchrist used a non-traditional foreign object to enhance his grip. Perhaps even his mis-hits going over the boundary for a six is an example of the undue advantage gained by this enhanced grip. To say that a man who has been in poor form throughout the tournament just came back to stellar form during the all important final, and that the squash ball is just a coincidence is simply naïve.
After all, these are guys who wanted SLC investigated for a mere team selection policy. Had the roles been reversed, and Sanath Jayasuriya was the one with the squash-ball, I`m sure the cricketing world would be on fire now with all sorts of accusations fired at Sri Lanka for cheating.
I am quite surprised that no one has raised this issue yet. I hope that SLC and whoever is responsible will raise this issue, and if nothing else make sure that the rules governing such things are made clear for the future."
Source - BBC, CNN, lankanewspapers.com
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