Pakistan's topsy-turvy start to the T20 World Cup 2024 has had the team members hide in complete embarrassment and receiving harsh criticism after a shocking defeat to the United States. And with fresh wounds from that defeat, the unlikeliest of accusations has emerged, an accusation of ball-tampering against Pakistani pacer Haris Rauf during the match the other day.
The allegations have been brought forth by Rusty Theron, a player in the US cricket team, claiming that Rauf tried to tamper with the ball using his fingernails during the game at the Grand Prairie Stadium in Dallas. The Theron call for the International Cricket Council (ICC) to pick up the matter urgently and start investigating has added weight to the matter.
"ICC - Are we simply going to turn a blind eye to Pakistan's incessant scratching of the ball? Reversing a ball that was replaced just two overs ago? Haris Rauf can be clearly seen running his thumbnail over the ball at his mark," Theron expressed on X.
The allegations by Theron, though debatable, come in the backdrop of a thrilling match that went into a Super Over and ensured an incredible win for the US team.
What, however, makes the gravity of the allegation an altogether other level is its potential to not only bring disrepute to the Pakistan cricket team but also to recall the times when leading cricketers were found in attempts to tamper with the cricket ball to attain reverse swing.
If this is proven true, the latest accusation will be a huge blow to the team and the highly talented bowler Rauf, who has recently returned to the squad.
Realizing they took much lighter the smaller and less experienced sides than them, skipper Babar Azam admitted that his team had fallen way short of the standards they set for themselves.
"Whenever you come into any tournament, you always do the best preparation. But you can say it’s a kind of mindset, when you come up against a team like this, you relax a little. You take things a little lightly. If you do not execute your plans against any team, then whatever team it is, it will beat you. I believe that we are not up to the mark in executing," Babar remarked.
"We are doing well in preparation, but in the match, we are not executing our plans as a team. We are not playing good in all three departments," he added.
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