T20 World Cup 2024: Pakistani Ex-Players Point Fingers at Arshdeep Singh’s Bowling, accuses ball tampering

Former Pakistani cricketers Inzamam-ul-Haq and Saleem Malik have raised eyebrows with their recent claims about India’s young fast bowler Arshdeep Singh. During a discussion on Pakistan’s 24 News HD channel, the duo suggested that Arshdeep, along with other Indian bowlers, might be engaging in ball tampering to achieve reverse swing during the T20 World Cup 2024.

Inzamam-ul-Haq expressed his belief that Indian bowlers, particularly Arshdeep Singh, are modifying the match ball to obtain reverse swing, which is crucial for their success in the tournament. He emphasized that achieving reverse swing so early in the innings, around the 14th or 15th over, is unusual for fast bowlers.

Two former Pakistan captain Saleem Malik and Inzmam ul haq accused Arshdeep Singha nd India of ball Tempering.

2023: @MdShami11 ke ball me Chip thi: Hasan Raza

2024: Arshdeep ke ball reverse ho raha hai mtlb ball pe serious kism ka kaam hua hai: Inzmam ul haq pic.twitter.com/YXmIuPatrd

— Varun Giri (@Varungiri0) June 25, 2024

Inzamam pointed out Arshdeep’s performance during the Super 8 match against Australia on June 24, where the bowler started to reverse swing the ball as early as the 16th over. Arshdeep’s bowling in that match was instrumental in India’s victory, as he took 3 wickets for 37 runs, helping India secure a spot in the semi-finals against England.

Inzamam shared his intuition about ball tampering on the 24 News HD show. He noted, “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 the 13th over. 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.”

Another former player, Saleem Malik backed Inzamam’s claims, stating, “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.”

This is not the first time Pakistan has accused Indian bowlers of ball tampering. Previously, during the CWC 2023, former cricketer Hasan Raza accused Indian pacer Mohammad Shami of ball tampering, claiming that Shami’s ball had a chip in it, which provided extra swing.

These accusations have stirred the cricketing world, bringing attention to the practices and scrutiny around ball tampering. With India’s bowlers performing exceptionally well in the T20 World Cup 2024, these claims by the former Pakistani players add a layer of controversy to the ongoing tournament.

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