Former Pakistan cricket captains Inzamam-ul-Haq and Saleem Malik have raised allegations against Indian pacer Arshdeep Singh and criticized match officials for alleged favoritism following India’s T20 World Cup Super 9 match against Australia. Inzamam suggested that India may have tampered with the ball during the match to aid Arshdeep in achieving reverse swing, a phenomenon typically seen with older balls.
“In the 15th over, we observed reverse swing, which is unusual with a new ball. This indicates that the ball was likely tampered with around the 12th or 13th over,” Inzamam stated during a discussion on 24 News.
Malik echoed these sentiments, expressing dissatisfaction with what he perceives as preferential treatment by umpires towards certain teams. “There is a perception that umpires turn a blind eye to some teams, and India seems to benefit from this. I remember being fined for reporting a similar incident in a match against Pakistan,” Malik remarked.
Inzamam further criticized the hypothetical treatment of Pakistani players in a similar situation, implying that the response would have been more severe. “If Pakistan were in this position, there would be widespread discussion. The fact that Arshdeep’s deliveries exhibited reverse swing suggests manipulation of the ball,” he added.
Meanwhile, Arshdeep Singh has been instrumental for India in the ongoing tournament, leading the team’s wicket-taking charts with impressive performances. Following his standout figures of 3 for 37 against Australia, Arshdeep credited teammate Jasprit Bumrah for creating pressure on opposing batsmen, which he believes contributed to his success.
“I owe a lot to Jassi bhai (Jasprit Bumrah) for his consistent pressure on batters. He concedes very few runs, which forces batsmen to take risks against me. My goal is to bowl my best deliveries, which often results in wickets,” Arshdeep remarked post-match.
With 15 wickets in six matches, Arshdeep Singh currently ranks second in the tournament’s leading wicket-takers list, trailing Afghanistan’s Fazalhaq Farooqi by just one wicket.
