God help me - the Test Cricket thread

[LP]

Something I detest in sport is cheating- drugs, rule bending,  gamesmanship,  loop hole pushing or plain old outright cheating. 

To this end,  an interesting interview with retired umpire Holder in today's Guardian.  A few countries appear to have skeletons in the cupboard regarding ball tampering,  including one from which media pundits have been most strident in their criticism of Australia's past actions.  I suspect that this was a big issue across the game for a long time,  and the exposure of the practice was used as an opportunity to expose it for what it is,  and to stamp it out.  I note that reverse swing has since become most uncommon,  except on particularly abrasive pitches such as the recent one in India. 

Anyone who has played cricket knows what goes on, only those who haven't or a outright liars will claim otherwise.

I've heard everything in suburban and district cricket from deep freezing the match ball overnight to mixing stuff into the sunscreen so that it makes the pill sticky for spinners. It's not always just about shine, the objective to make one half of the pill different in some way.

One of the best I heard was someone using a water-repellant varnish mixed in sunscreen to rub on the seam so that it stays dry and hard for longer. I doubt the efficacy of that mix, but I understand the thinking as moisture softens the seam, but I suspect sunscreen would soften it equally leaving the varnish ineffective. I believe the Poms would use a very specific brand of boiled lolly for the same purpose, a bit like Castlemaine Rock.