In a social media post, Indian pacer Mohammed Shami criticised former Pakistan cricketer Hasan Raza for making allegations that India were manipulating cricket balls and manipulating playing conditions in the World Cup 2023.
Raza garnered attention once again due to the numerous sensational claims surrounding India's strong performances in the ongoing World Cup. He accused the BCCI and the ICC of using "suspicious balls" to support the hosts and further claimed that the apex bodies were meddling with the Decision Review System (DRS).
The former Pakistan international faced significant criticism from the cricketing community for his controversial statements, including former captain Wasim Akram, who observed that such contentious remarks harm the reputation of Pakistan and its players.
“I want to have the same things these guys are having. Sounds like fun. Because their mind is not there. They get slammed by the world and take us down as well," Wasim Akram said on a local sports channel.
Shami, who has been in stellar form for India as a bowler, added his voice to refute the accusations as "random nonsense." He posted a story on his Instagram account, where the fast bowler wrote: “Have some shame. Focus on the game, not on random nonsense. For once, try to enjoy others’ success. This is the ICC World Cup, not your local tournament.
He encouraged Raza to at least take notice of Wasim Akram, a cricketing legend, and responded with the trending phrase "just like a wow" in a sarcastic manner.
“You were actually a player, right? Wasim bhai explained it, but still – you don’t believe your own player, your own Wasim Akram. You are busy praising yourself. Wow.”
Here's what Shami said:
Remember, Hasan Raza had accused India of foul play, saying the ICC and the BCCI are favouring the Indian bowlers by giving them special balls.
“We are seeing that when they are batting, they bat really well and suddenly the ball starts doing things when India bowls. There have been 7-8 close DRS calls that have gone in their favour. The way Siraj and Shami were swinging the ball, it seemed like the ICC or the BCCI were giving them different and suspicious balls in the second innings. There needs to be an inspection done on the ball. There could also be an extra layer of coating on the ball for swing,” Raza told a Pakistani news channel.
Hasan Raza made yet another startling remark about the Indian cricket team following the home side’s dominant one-sided win by 243 runs against South Africa at the Eden Gardens, Kolkata, on Sunday (November 5).
Raza talked about the major DRS blunders during the World Cup and called them "manipulation" of the technology.
"Jadeja picked up five wickets and finished with career-best figures. We were talking about technology where DRS was being taken. Van de Dussen was the batter and the ball was hitting the middle stump after pitching on leg stump. How is that possible?" Raza said while talking on a local sports show.
"The impact was in line, but the ball was headed towards the leg stump. Like everyone else, I am just sharing my opinion. I am saying that such things should be checked. DRS is being manipulated and that is clearly visible," he added.
Raza didn't stop there, he also stated that the Blues manipulated the technology against Pakistan in Ahmedabad.
"It was not the first time. The review in the match between Pakistan and South Africa and the last wicket partnership. They did not even apologise. Home conditions and home advantages come into play," he added.
