‘Are umpires blind?’: Ex-Pakistan cricketer accuses Australia of ball tampering during WTC 2023 Final

During the ongoing World Test Championship final between Australia and India, the Aussies have been hit with serious allegations of ball tampering by former Pakistan cricketer Basit Ali. 

Ali insists that the Australians tampered with the ball around the 15th over and used it to their advantage to dismiss two of India’s top batters, Virat Kohli and Cheteshwar Pujara. The dismissals of Pujara and Kohli were swift, with Cameron Green and Mitchell Starc respectively taking them out. 

Ali claims that no one seems to be taking notice of Australia’s tactics at The Oval, including officials, commentators, and even the Indian batters themselves.

“Firstly, I would clap for those watching the match from commentary box, and the umpires? Australia clearly played with the ball and no one is talking about it. No batter is wondering ‘What is happening?’ The biggest example is batters getting bowled while leaving the ball. Let me give you the evidence too. Until the 54th over when Shami was bowling, the shine was on the outside and the ball moved back into Steve Smith. This is not called reverse-swing. Reverse swing is when the shine is on the inside and the ball comes back in,” Ali said on his YouTube channel.

He emphasized that overs 16 to 18 provided clear evidence of ball tampering, citing the dismissals of Kohli and Pujara as examples. In the 18th over of the innings, umpire Richard Kettleborough instructed for the ball to be changed after it had become misshapen. As the replacement box arrived and the new ball was introduced, Ali believes that this is when Australia gained an advantage, causing India to slip from 30/2 to 71/4.

“Look at the 16th, 17th and 18th over, the ball on which Virat Kohli got out… look at the shine. Mitchell Starc had the ball in his hand with the shiny end pointing outside but the ball was moving the other way. Jadeja was hitting the ball on the on-side and the ball was flying over point. Have the umpires gone blind? God knows who all are sitting there who can’t see such a simple thing,” Ali pointed out.

Pujara was bowled out while attempting to defend a seemingly simple delivery, while Kohli fell victim to a fierce bouncer from the left-arm bowler Starc, who had returned for his second spell. Ali, who provided insight into the mechanics of the two different types of balls, explained that the Dukes ball does not typically reverse-swing until after 40 overs.

“Green bowled with the shine pointing towards Pujara and the ball rocketed back in? I am surprised. BCCI is such a big board; can they not see it? It means that you aren’t focussed towards cricket. They are just happy knowing that India have reached the final. Does the ball ever reverse swing in 15-20 overs, that too Dukes ball? I understand that a Kookaburra ball can still reverse, but a Dukes ball lasts till 40 overs at least,” Ali said.

Ball tampering is a highly controversial topic in the annals of Australian cricket, particularly in light of the infamous sandpaper gate scandal of 2018. During a Test match in Cape Town against South Africa, David Warner, Steve Smith, and Cameron Bancroft were found guilty of roughing up one side of the ball to make it swing. The act was caught on camera, leading to swift action from Cricket Australia. Warner and Smith were banned for 12 months, while Bancroft received a nine-month suspension.

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