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India’s bowling lineup, particularly the fast bowlers, have made light work of almost every team they have faced over the course of the 2023 World Cup. The latest of these was the 302-run annihilation of Sri Lanka, in which the latter were bowled out for a mere 55 runs chasing a target of 358.
While their batters have been in top form, it is India’s bowling attack that has really helped them dominate the tournament thus far. Jasprit Bumrah, Mohammed Shami and Mohammed Siraj have drawn praise from around the world for their efficiency but at the same time, there has also been a rather bizarre claim from former Pakistan cricketer Hasan Raza which caused a few ripples. Raza said in a television show recently that ICC and the BCCI are favouring the Indian team by delivering special balls and urged the matter to be looked into. Pakistan’s former captain and fast bowling great Wasim Akram has now brushed the claim aside while also requesting Raza to not humiliate the entire country in the process of shaming himself.
“I have been reading about it in the last couple of days. I want to have the same thing these guys are having. Sounds like fun. Because their mind is not there. If you want to get yourselves humiliated, don’t do the same to us in front of the entire world,” said Wasim on A Sports.
Wasim went on to explain how it is that balls get selected before a match. “It’s a very simple thing. The umpire goes to the team that is bowling first after the toss with a box filled with 12 balls. There would the four umpires and the referee and a few other people. If I am bowling first then I will pick one ball as my first option and the other as my second option. Both options the umpire keeps with himself so that in case the first ball goes bad, the second option is right there.
“Then he takes the box to the other dressing room, with a lot of people with him. They also pick two balls. They go to the fourth umpire and in that same room the referee and a few other people also sit and show the two options. So who thinks of all this?” he said.
‘Why not think that these Indian bowlers are better?’
The 57-year-old, widely regarded among the greatest fast bowlers of all time, said that instead of doubting them, India’s pacers deserve praise for how they have performed thus far. “The argument for the past few days especially in our country, is that none of the bowlers are able to get swing like this. But why not think that these Indian bowlers, maybe they have learnt something more and maybe they are better right now than others,” he said.
Wasim was not the only one who slammed Raza for his comments. Mitchell McClenaghan, the New Zealand fast bowler, said on twitter that there needs to be a “full investigation” into Raza’s “mental health”. “Narh is this for real? He realises everyone picks from the same box of balls after the toss hahaha if this isn’t satire i think there needs to be a full investigation into his mental health,” he said in his tweet. Former India opener Aakash Chopra questioned the legitimacy of the show in which Raza made the comments. “Is it a serious cricket show? If not, please mention ‘satire’ ‘comedy’ in English somewhere. I mean…it might be written in Urdu already but unfortunately, I can’t read/understand it,” Chopra tweeted.
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