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Former Australian pacer John Hastings had a forgettable outing in the World Championship of Legends (WTC) 2025 clash against the Pakistan side. Hastings bowled an 18-ball over, featuring just five legal deliveries and conceded 20 runs as Pakistan finished the run chase with 73 balls to spare and won by 10 wickets. More than a couple of weeks after the clash, Hastings revealed that the Anti Corruption United had a few questions for him. He also revealed the huge number of messages he received from cricket fraternity and on social media.
"The anti-corruption guys came up to me and said, 'gee you put us through a bit of hell last night.' He said we had to have a look at it. You missed the pitch on one of your balls. I said, 'Do you think I'll be doing any sort of match-fixing or anything like that?," Hastings said on Willow Talk Podcast.
"He said ‘No, but we don't know where you've been or what you've been doing for the last seven years’. I said, ‘I'm not corrupt’. The Pakistan game, it's hard to explain. I had so many text messages from all the cricket fraternity, but I had also deleted social media for three days straightaway when I came off the field after the Pakistan game. I didn't want to deal with it.
"It's not funny, but it's one of those you can't explain when you're actually bowling. It was hard to take, it was embarrassing, and it was horrendous. But I am back on social media. So, the 1.5 million people who messaged me on Instagram, I'll reply to you when I can."
Hastings also revealed that he was thrown an "official retirement party" after his horrendous display against Pakistan.
No Hastings in semifinal
Despite the 10-wicket loss, Australia Champions progressed to the semifinal against AB de Villiers' South Africa Champions. Hastings did not feature in the playing XI for the semifinal clash. Australia Champions lost by just one run. South Africa Champions went on to win their maiden WCL title as De Villiers scored an unbeaten century in the final.
This was Hastings’ first appearance in leagues for retired players since 2022. Earlier, his last appearance in a competitive T20 league was in 2018.
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