(AFP Photo)
Mohammed Shami criticizes former Pakistani cricketers and experts for accusing Indian players of ball tampering during the ODI World Cup 2023 and T20 World Cup 2024 matches. Shami, who topped the wicket-taking charts in the 2023 World Cup held in India, responded by stating that Pakistani critics have always been unsupportive of Indian achievements, highlighting the double standards in how they perceive bowling techniques between the two nations.
“Pakistanis were never happy with us and will never be. Someone said we were being given a different ball, and someone said there was a chip in the ball,” Shami said on Shubhankar Mishra’s YouTube channel.
“I have previously mentioned that if I ever get an opportunity or a platform in the future, I would definitely like to open the ball and show whether there is any device inside or not. If your bowlers do swing and reverse swing, then it is skill; if we do, then we are tampering with the ball and chip on the ball,” he added.
As per the star pacer, who claimed 24 dismissals in seven matches during last year’s ODI World Cup to emerge as its top wicket-taker, Pakistani cricket experts refuse to acknowledge that Indian bowlers can achieve reverse swing through legitimate means.
“Abhi fir aur aya hai. Ek namuna aur khod ke diya hai inhone ki vo Arshdeep ne reverse kaise kara di. Aur vo (Inzamam-ul-Haq) bhai gyaan de rahe hai ki aapne ball ke saath kuch kiya hai, nigaah rakhi hai. Vo log sikha rahe hai ki ball se ched-chaad naa kari jaaye. Jo unke against perform karegi team wo wahan par target hoti hain. Manlo maine device se ball daal diya aur button ulta dab gaya. Maine inswing daali, but outswing ho gayi toh chauka ho jayega. Ye cartoon giri kahin aur chal sakti hai, yeh public ko bewakoof banane wali baate hain (The team that performs against them gets targeted there. Suppose I bowled with the device and pressed the button incorrectly. I intended to bowl an inswinger, but it turned into an outswinger, resulting in a boundary. This kind of cartoonish behaviour can happen elsewhere; these are just ways to fool the public),” he added.
Shami performance in ODI World Cup 2023
During last year’s ODI World Cup, Mohammed Shami initially sat out the first four matches for Team India. However, when Hardik Pandya’s injury sidelined him, Shami seized the opportunity and earned acclaim. His standout performance came in the semi-final against New Zealand in Mumbai on November 15, where he claimed seven wickets for 57 runs, setting a record for the best bowling figures by an Indian in ODIs.
Unfortunately, Shami missed selection for the recent T20 World Cup due to an injury sustained during the ODI World Cup. He is anticipated to return to action in the coming months, aiming to regain his place in the national team.
