Former Pakistan cricketer Inzamam Ul Haq accuses Indian pacer of ball tampering, says umpires should keep their eyes open

ISLAMABAD: Former Pakistan cricketer Inzamam Ul Haq has made a strange allegation against the Indian cricket team that has marched into the semi-final of the ongoing T20 World Cup. During a TV show, Inzamam accused Indian pacer Arshdeep Singh of tampering with the ball in the Super 8 match against Australia.

"Arshdeep Singh, when he was bowling the 15th (16th) over, the ball was reversing. is it too early (for reverse swing) with a relatively new ball? This means the ball was ready for reverse swing by the 12th or the 13th over, Umpires should keep their eyes open to spot these things," said Inzamam during the talk show.

"If it was Pakistani bowlers (reverse swinging the ball) this would have been a big issue. We know reverse swing very well and if Arshdeep can come in the 15th (16th) over and start reversing the ball, it means some serious work had been done before," he added.

In the same talk show, Inzamam's former teammate Salim Malik also accused the International Cricket Council (ICC) of "keeping their eyes shut" when it comes to some specific teams.

"Inzy, I always say this, eyes are kept shut when it comes to some teams, and India is one of those teams. I remember in Zimbabwe, when Wasim (Akram) was bowling, he made it wet, and we all were surprised at it; as in how come one side was wet, and when I went and complained I was fined quite heavily," he added.

India went on to win the Super 8 match against Australia, thanks to the blistering knock of 92 by skipper Rohit Sharma. India will next take on England in the semifinals at Guyana on Thursday.