Sri Lanka's sports minister called on the International Cricket Council (ICC) to establish "simple, clear rules" on Wednesday after captain Dinesh Chandimal was punished for ball tampering.
"Laws governing the offence / act of altering the condition of the ball are somewhat vague and lack clarity," Faiszer Musthapha said in a statement.
"I invite the ICC to revisit the applicable laws and ensure that a set of simple, clear and certain rules and procedures are put in place."
He did not elaborate but the statement came after Chandimal, coach Chandika Hathurusinghe and manager Asanka Gurusinha were sanctioned following a tampering scandal.
Chandimal refused to take the field for two hours on the third day of the second Test against the West Indies last month after he was accused of ball tampering on the previous day.
Chandimal as well as Hathurusinghe and Gurusinha were banned for two Tests and four one-day internationals for violating the spirit of the game by holding up the second Test against West Indies by two hours.
At the start of the first Test against a touring South African team last week, Chandimal and his tourist counterpart Faf du Plessis said they wanted a list of dos and don'ts from the ICC match referee.
Although the use of saliva or sweat to shine the ball is an accepted practice, using any other substance - such as sugary residue from sweets - is prohibited.
______________
Read more:
Lanka Premier League Twenty20 cricket tournament indefinitely postponed
Graham Caygill: ICC must let umpires hand out cards in cricket matches
Chitrabhanu Kadalayil: Player power drives win-at-all-costs mentality
Chitrabhanu Kadalayil: Cricket Australia must address cultural failings
______________
Chandimal was slapped with a 100 per cent fine of his match fees and banned from the third Test against the West Indies last month after he was found guilty of tampering.
Match referee Javagal Srinath said Chandimal applied saliva containing the residue of something he had in his mouth to the ball, in violation of the ICC Code of Conduct.
The ICC last week unveiled tougher sanctions for ball tampering and sledging in a bid to improve on-field behaviour in the sport.
The changes came in the wake of a ball-tampering scandal in South Africa in March that saw Steve Smith stripped of the Australian captaincy and suspended from international and domestic cricket for a year. His teammates David Warner and Cameron Bancroft were also banned.
Du Plessis said tougher sanctions would make players think twice before putting something in their mouth and then using saliva to shine the ball.
