Serious ball-tampering allegations have emerged from Bangladesh's inaugural National Cricket League (NCL) Second XI competition, with Vaseline allegedly being used to alter the condition of the ball.
The allegations surfaced after the tournament, which concluded on Friday, with Dhaka Division Second XI defeating Khulna Division Second XI by an innings and 35 runs in the final at Purbachal to clinch the title. However, the competition's reputation has come under scrutiny amid claims that players have been using Vaseline to manipulate the ball.
Officials from Dhaka Division Second XI alleged after the match that players were applying Vaseline to the ball to alter its condition.
"Yes yes. The players do it (use Vaseline to tamper the ball)," an official told Cricbuzz, requesting anonymity. "They use the Vaseline in between their fingers so it becomes virtually impossible to trace who did it."
The official claimed that applying Vaseline makes the ball heavier and helps generate reverse swing. "This (using Vaseline) makes the ball heavier and the ball does not move through the air like it should, which makes the ball reverse. That helps the ball to skid as well as reverse."
The official said that despite the practice being widely known, it remains difficult to identify those involved. "This is really hard to trace. Maybe you have to put a camera on everyone. The Khulna team was doing it a lot as they were putting the Vaseline in their hairs and then rubbing it on the ball while they were also using it in their hands and whenever they grab the ball it gets on the ball.
"We told the umpire several times but it is impossible to trace. They use the Vaseline without any flavour so there's no smell of any kind," he added.
Cricbuzz understands that the BCB's umpires committee is yet to receive any official complaint regarding the alleged use of Vaseline to tamper with the ball.
Several individuals closely associated with the NCL, however, claimed that umpires have failed to take note of the practice despite teams bringing it to their attention verbally. As a result, the use of Vaseline to alter the ball's condition is allegedly becoming increasingly common in Bangladesh's domestic cricket.
It remains to be seen whether the issue will be addressed by the authorities and whether the alleged practice will spill over into the ongoing National Cricket League, the country's traditional first-class competition.
