India, April 11 -- Dawid Malan has reignited one of cricket's oldest and most explosive debates after suggesting that ball tampering, in a controlled form, should be legalised. The former England batter made the remarks on BBC Test Match Special's Strategic Timeout during a wider discussion around reverse swing, death bowling and the balance between bat and ball in modern T20 cricket.

The comments did not come out of nowhere. Malan was responding to the recent Pakistan Super League controversy involving Fakhar Zaman, who was sanctioned after being found guilty of changing the condition of the ball during Lahore Qalandars' match against Karachi Kings. The incident drew fresh attention because Lahore were also docked five penalty runs, and...