Shami responds to ball-tampering allegations

November 3, 2023: Hasan Raza claims balls are being changed mid-innings

In the 2023 World Cup in India, the hosts reached the final on the back of ten consecutive wins, before falling to Australia in the summit clash. Amid that excellent run, they registered a crushing 302-run victory over Sri Lanka, bowling their opponents out for just 55.

In the aftermath of that match, former Pakistan international Hasan Raza questioned whether India were being favoured by the ICC. Raza said on Pakistani TV, "...I feel like the ball is getting changed mid-innings the way it is behaving. Whether it is the ICC that is providing the balls, or the umpires panel, or the BCCI, there should be an inspection on it. I think the balls should be checked."

Raza's claims were rubbished by ex-Pakistan fast bowler Wasim Akram, who asked him in no uncertain terms to not embarrass the whole country in the process of humiliating himself.

November 8, 2023: Mohammed Shami responds to Raza on social media

A few days after Raza's claims, India fast bowler Mohammed Shami took to social media to respond to them. Shami ended up finishing as the top wicket-taker in the 2023 World Cup, with 24 in just seven matches, including a seven-for in the semifinal.

In an Instagram story, Shami posted a strongly-worded statement, deriding Raza's words as 'random nonsense'. He also said this was not 'your local tournament', and that Raza should at least trust the words of Wasim Akram.

June 26, 2024: Inzamam-ul-Haq questions India's reverse swing

In the next global tournament India played, the 2024 T20 World Cup, questions of ball-tampering were raised by another former Pakistan international, this time a former captain.

Inzamam-ul-Haq claimed after India's Super Eights victory over Australia that 'serious work' had been done on the ball, in order to enable Arshdeep Singh to generate reverse swing in the 15th over of the innings. Inzamam further urged the umpires to 'keep their eyes open' in such situations.

July 19, 2024: Shami calls for end to 'cartoongiri'

Speaking on journalist Shubhankar Mishra's podcast on Friday (July 19), Shami took the opportunity to respond to Inzamam's claims, in typically strong fashion.

He said, "To Inzamam bhai, I want to say just one thing. I respect him a lot. If you [Pakistanis] perform that skill, then you are an artist. But if someone else does it, will you call it chakugiri (cutting the ball with a knife)? Or will you call it ball-tampering? When you do the same, is it not ball-tampering?

"I don't expect, that despite being such a big name and ex-player, you say such things. During the 2023 World Cup, someone said there was a device or chip in the ball I was using. This cartoongiri can be done elsewhere. This is just done to try and make a fool out of the public.

"I will take the three World Cup balls which I have to Pakistan (during the Champions Trophy), if they want me to. I will assemble ten or twenty people and ask them which one they want be to cut open, and show them [that there is nothing wrong with them]."

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