Pakistani cricket legend Danish Kaneria strongly criticized his former captain Inzamam-ul-Haq for accusing India of ball tampering during the T20 World Cup 2024. Kaneria expressed his disapproval of Inzamam's comments, especially considering his own experience playing in the West Indies. Meanwhile, the Indian team has been on a tear in the ongoing T20 World Cup 2024. Led by Rohit Sharma, India dominated the league stage, winning every match. Their stellar performance continued in the semi-final, where they remained undefeated and secured a spot in the final. India's success can be attributed to their well-rounded performance with both bat and ball. They've shown resilience under pressure and a remarkable ability to handle difficult situations. Their victory against Australia in the final group stage match cemented their place in the semi-finals.
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A cloud of controversy loomed over India's victory, however. Former Pakistani captain Inzamam-ul-Haq made headlines by accusing the Indian team of ball tampering. He claimed this was the reason behind Arshdeep Singh's successful reverse swing bowling that troubled Australian batsmen during the death overs. Responding to these accusations, Indian skipper Rohit Sharma dismissed them entirely. He advised Inzamam to consider the match conditions before making such statements, highlighting how balls often reverse swing during day games.
Danish Kaneria on Inzamam Ul Haq's ball tampering claims
Danish Kaneria, another former Pakistani cricketer, also weighed in. He criticized Inzamam harshly, pointing out that practice pitches naturally dry out, causing the ball to behave differently. Kaneria emphasized that such baseless comments are unbecoming of a respected figure like Inzamam. He elaborated on his views during an interview with Times Now.
“I think my captain played a lot of cricket and he played a lot of cricket in the West Indies. West Indies has a dry wicket and when we throw the ball in the field, because there are 2-3 wickets and it is dry and rough, so when one bounce comes, the ball automatically starts getting rough. So when we used to play there, the ball would automatically become rough for the fast bowler,” Kaneria said.
"But for such a big player, I don't think it is right to say that he tampered with the ball. I don't like it. I think whatever he did, everyone was clear about it. Rohit also said to the press conference, look at the conditions, where are you playing? It is so hot. It is humid. It is humid and the ball will get a little scuffed," he added.
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Kaneria went on to explain the science behind reverse swing, mentioning that it happens more readily under daytime conditions. He argued that this natural phenomenon was the real reason behind Arshdeep's success, not any tampering. He also pointed out that other teams, who mostly played at night, wouldn't have had the same opportunity to exploit reverse swing.
"When you hit the ball on the wicket, the ball gets scuffed. When the ball gets scuffed, if you shine it from one side, it will automatically get reversed. It happens to all bowlers, not just one. In the other team as well, most of the morning matches were played by India. Most of the morning matches were played by India. The rest of the teams played at night. So it is very difficult to bowl at night. Because it is a little loose. But in the afternoon, it is so humid that the ball gets scuffed," Kaneria signed off.
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