Vaseline incident
Encyclopedia
Vaseline incident was one of the first publicised 'doctoring' (using unfair means to enhance the swing or seam abilities) of the cricket ball by a bowler, when John Lever
reportedly rubbed vaseline onto one side of the ball so it would swing better.
During the MCC tour of India
in 1976-77, Lever used hair lotion to swing the cricket ball on the pitches of New Delhi
, Kolkata
and Chennai
, where movement is a rarity. Lever returned with magic figures of 7 for 46 and 3 for 24 on his debut at Delhi.In this test Lever recorded the best test bowling figures for an English debutant (7-46), a record that stood until Dominic Cork
beat it by 3 runs on his debut vs West Indies in 1995.
Lever, and his bowling partner Bob Willis, both found themselves suffering from sweat falling into their eyes. It was suggested, naively, by the team physio that they apply strips of gauze covered with vaseline above their eyes to divert sweat from their forehead away. In play these were found to slip, and Willis removed his. Eventually Lever also removed his and lay the gauze on the ground near the stumps where it was noticed by the umpires and indian team, but not before he had used sweat from his forehead to shine the ball.
Bishen Singh Bedi, the under pressure captain of the Indian cricket team was not convinced the vaseline was to keep sweat out of the eyes. He said Lever had used unfair means to shine the ball. The english paceman’s habit of rubbing the ball over his eyebrows every now and then was also noticed. Tests on the cricket ball revealed presence of greasy substance. Whether the vaseline had been intentionally applied to the ball or not was later disputed, and Lever's previous performances on the tour questioned.
John Lever
John Lever MBE is an English former cricketer, who played in twenty one Tests and twenty two ODIs for England from 1976 to 1986...
reportedly rubbed vaseline onto one side of the ball so it would swing better.
During the MCC tour of India
India
India , officially the Republic of India , is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by geographical area, the second-most populous country with over 1.2 billion people, and the most populous democracy in the world...
in 1976-77, Lever used hair lotion to swing the cricket ball on the pitches of New Delhi
New Delhi
New Delhi is the capital city of India. It serves as the centre of the Government of India and the Government of the National Capital Territory of Delhi. New Delhi is situated within the metropolis of Delhi. It is one of the nine districts of Delhi Union Territory. The total area of the city is...
, Kolkata
Kolkata
Kolkata , formerly known as Calcutta, is the capital of the Indian state of West Bengal. Located on the east bank of the Hooghly River, it was the commercial capital of East India...
and Chennai
Chennai
Chennai , formerly known as Madras or Madarasapatinam , is the capital city of the Indian state of Tamil Nadu, located on the Coromandel Coast off the Bay of Bengal. Chennai is the fourth most populous metropolitan area and the sixth most populous city in India...
, where movement is a rarity. Lever returned with magic figures of 7 for 46 and 3 for 24 on his debut at Delhi.In this test Lever recorded the best test bowling figures for an English debutant (7-46), a record that stood until Dominic Cork
Dominic Cork
Dominic Gerald Cork is a former English cricketer. Cork is a right-handed lower-order batsman who bowls right-arm fast-medium, and is renowned for his swing and seam control. Making his début in first-class cricket for Derbyshire in 1990, he was selected to play for England in 1992, aged 21. He...
beat it by 3 runs on his debut vs West Indies in 1995.
History
The incident occurred in the third test at Chennai, with India 2-0 down in the series after heavy defeats in Delhi and Kolkata. Ball tampering regulations allow the application of sweat and saliva (naturally produced substances) to the cricket ball in an attempt to shine one side. Other means of altering the balls condition, such as applying vaseline, were banned.Lever, and his bowling partner Bob Willis, both found themselves suffering from sweat falling into their eyes. It was suggested, naively, by the team physio that they apply strips of gauze covered with vaseline above their eyes to divert sweat from their forehead away. In play these were found to slip, and Willis removed his. Eventually Lever also removed his and lay the gauze on the ground near the stumps where it was noticed by the umpires and indian team, but not before he had used sweat from his forehead to shine the ball.
Bishen Singh Bedi, the under pressure captain of the Indian cricket team was not convinced the vaseline was to keep sweat out of the eyes. He said Lever had used unfair means to shine the ball. The english paceman’s habit of rubbing the ball over his eyebrows every now and then was also noticed. Tests on the cricket ball revealed presence of greasy substance. Whether the vaseline had been intentionally applied to the ball or not was later disputed, and Lever's previous performances on the tour questioned.