‘Cartoongiri’: Shami blasts Inzamam-ul-Haq over ball-tampering allegations

Indian fast bowler Mohammad Shami has vehemently denied former Pakistani captain Inzamam-ul-Haq’s claims of ball-tampering during the T20 World Cup.

Shami’s response comes after Inzamam-ul-Haq raised questions about Arshdeep Singh’s ability to reverse swing with a relatively new ball during the T20 World Cup.

Shami addressed the allegations during a recent YouTube podcast, stating that he would demonstrate the legitimacy of the ball in front of a large audience if given the chance.

“I have previously mentioned that if I ever get an opportunity or a platform in the future, I would definitely like to open the ball and show whether there is any device inside or not. If your bowlers do swing & reverse swing then it is skill, if we do then, we are tampering with ball & chip on the ball,” Shami said.

“The team that performs against them gets targeted there. Suppose I bowled with the device and pressed the button incorrectly. I intended to bowl an inswinger, but it turned into an outswinger, resulting in a boundary. This kind of cartoonish behaviour can happen elsewhere; these are just ways to fool the public),” he added.

Shami bhai roasted Pakistan 😆 pic.twitter.com/yqiuIqdhoA

— Johns (@JohnyBravo183) July 19, 2024

Shami’s comments come at a time when India’s participation in the Champions Trophy 2025, hosted by Pakistan, is uncertain due to clearance issues with the Indian government.