With questions raised over using sweat and saliva to shine cricket balls in the post-COVID-19 era, Australian manufacturer Kookaburra has developed an alternative.
Officials say their wax applicator could be ready to use within a month, but former Blackcaps bowler-turned-commentator Simon Doull believes it's nothing more than a gimmick.
"I think it's more of a PR stunt than anything," Doull has told Newshub.
"But the laws are going to have to change… in the short term, the laws will have to change to allow the ball to be attempted to be shined."
And that's where the Aussie cricket giant believes it could have the answer in the shape of a wax applicator.
"You could apply a coat on at the end of every 10th over and then be rubbed on the trouser using traditional polishing techniques," says managing director Brett Elliott.
The pocket-size sponge applicator is ready to roll out later this month, but extensive testing will be needed to ensure the contest between bowler and batsman remains fair.
"What we don't want to do is to make this game all for swing bowlers, which New Zealand might like," he adds. "It needs to embrace all the skills of bowling."
Ex-NZ swing bowler Doull believes the wax applicator proposal is more about mitigating a flaw in the Kookaburra ball that's traditionally struggled to swing, compared to its rival - the English Duke ball.
"In essence, they're saying their balls aren't that good, so we need to give you something artificially to shine them," Doull says.
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