Vaseline Tampering Allegations Cast Shadow Over Bangladesh’s NCL Second XI

Dhaka: Bangladesh’s inaugural National Cricket League Second XI competition concluded on Friday with Dhaka Division Second XI defeating Khulna Division Second XI by an innings and 35 runs in the final at Purbachal. The title was secured. The credibility of the tournament, however, is now under scrutiny.

Serious ball-tampering allegations have emerged, with claims that players have been using Vaseline to alter the condition of the ball throughout the competition.

“Yes yes. The players do it,” an official from the Dhaka Division Second XI told IGK, requesting anonymity. “They use the Vaseline in between their fingers so it becomes virtually impossible to trace who did it.”

The official explained the method and its intended effect. Applying Vaseline makes the ball heavier and disrupts its flight, which in turn aids reverse swing. “This 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.”

Difficult to Detect

The anonymity of the practice is central to the problem. The official described the difficulty of identifying offenders, even when the method is known. “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.”
IGK understands that the BCB’s umpires committee is yet to receive any official complaint regarding the alleged use of Vaseline. Several individuals closely associated with the NCL, however, claimed that umpires have failed to take note of the practice despite teams raising it verbally. The result, they say, is that the use of Vaseline to alter the ball’s condition is becoming increasingly common in Bangladesh’s domestic cricket.

An Unresolved Question

The tournament’s final delivered a decisive result, but the allegations have raised questions that extend beyond one match. Whether the authorities will address the issue, and whether the practice will spill over into the ongoing National Cricket League, the country’s traditional first-class competition, remains to be seen.
For now, the inaugural Second XI competition carries a title winner and an unresolved controversy, one that its organisers will be pressed to confront.

                                               

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