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The T20 World Cup 2024 has reached the penultimate stage with four teams progressing into the semifinals stage. While India and Afghanistan advanced from Group 1, South Africa and England cruised from the Group 2. Although Afghanistan cricket team has been the team to watch out for as they dismantled the likes of Australia and New Zealand in the group stage and Super 8 respectively, Pakistan was in the limelight for all the wrong reasons.
Although Pakistan was knocked out early in the tournament and India progressing into the semifinals of the T20 World Cup 2024, this hasn’t rested well among the fans and pundits alike as former Pakistan captain Inzamam-ul-Haq recently made a bizarre claim of ball tampering. The former Pakistan cricketer in an interview claimed that Indian bowlers are altering their match balls to ensure reverse swing.
Speaking on a Pakistan news channel, alongside former cricketer Saleem Malik, Inzamam drew reference of Arshdeep Singh’s reverse swinging deliveries in India’s match against Australia. Both claimed that 14th and 15th over of the game is a bit too early for a pacer to get reverse swing. “Arshdeep Singh, when he was bowling the 15th over, the ball was reversing. Is it too early (for reverse swing) with the new ball? This means the ball was ready for reverse swing by the 12th or 13th over,” the 54-year-old said.
“Umpires should keep their eyes open (to spot) these things…, If it was Pakistani bowlers (reverse swinging the ball) this would have been a big issue. We know reverse swing very well and if Arshdeep can come in the 15th over and start reversing the ball, it means some serious work has been done before,” he further added.
Watch Inzamam-ul-Haq's allegations on Arshdeep Singh:
Saleem Malik comes out in support of Inzamam-ul-Haq over ball tampering claims
Former Pakistan captain Inzamam-ul-Haq wasn’t the only one who claimed these allegations. Saleem Malik also agreed on the same as he said, “Inzy, I always say this, eyes are kept shut when it comes to some teams, and India is one of those teams. I remember in Zimbabwe, when Wasim (Akram) was bowling, he made it wet, and we all were surprised at it; as in how come one side was wet, and when I went and complained I was fined quite heavily.”
It is to be noted that this is not the first time that these kind of allegations have been made on Indian bowlers. Earlier, Hasan Raza claimed that India used some chips in the ball during the 2023 ODI World Cup, questioning Mohammad Shami’s success in the tournament, who finished as the highest run-getter.
For India, Jasprit Bumrah and Arshdeep Singh have been the key bowlers in the T20 World Cup 2024. While Arshdeep Singh is the second highest wicket-taker in the tournament after Fazalhaq Farooqi with 15 wickets from six matches, Jasprit Bumrah currently stands at seventh place with 11 wickets to his name.
