During the T20 World Cup in 2024, a former captain of Pakistan’s cricket team, Inzamam ul Haq, made an unusual accusation about Indian bowler Arshdeep Singh. He suggested without directly saying so that Arshdeep might have been altering the ball to make it swing in reverse. Inzamam pointed out that during Arshdeep’s bowling in a match against Australia, the ball started to reverse swing in the 15th over, which he thought was too early for such a move with a new ball. He explained that this meant the ball must have been prepared for reverse swing by the 12th or 13th over. Inzamam advised the umpires to be more observant for such actions. He also noted that if Pakistani bowlers were doing something similar, it would be considered a major issue. He concluded by saying that since Arshdeep could achieve reverse swing so early, it must have involved some significant prior effort.
Indian cricket star Mohammed Shami, who took the most wickets in the 2023 ODI World Cup, has strongly responded to the accusations. Shami faced a bizarre claim during the World Cup. Former Pakistani cricketer Hasan Raza alleged that India was using special balls with a hidden device inside, which gave Shami extra movement in his deliveries.
“In an interview, I mentioned that I would demonstrate whether there’s a device or not by cutting the ball. They’ve taken another sample. They asked, ‘How can Arshdeep Singh achieve reverse swing?’ I just want to tell Inzamam bhai one thing. I have a lot of respect for him. If you do the same thing, isn’t it considered ball-tampering? Those who perform well against them become their targets. India and Pakistan are long-time rivals,” Shami said on Shubhankar Mishra’s YouTube channel.
“I don’t expect that despite being ex-players you can say such a thing. Even Wasim Akram said how umpires give you the ball and it is not possible to plant any device in it. This type of cartoongiri is not good. These statements are there to fool people.”
