Islamabad, Jun 7 (IANS): Pakistan's disastrous start to the T20 World Cup 2024 has left the squad red-faced and under severe criticism as the team suffered a shocking defeat to the United States. While the wounds of the defeat are still fresh, a new accusation has come to light in which a USA player has accused Pakistani speedster Haris Rauf of ball tampering during the match on Thursday.
Rusty Theron, a player of the US cricket team, has alleged that Rauf attempted to tamper with the ball with his fingernails during the match played at the Grand Prairie Stadium in Dallas, calling on the International Cricket Council (ICC) to take immediate notice and initiate an investigation into the matter.
"ICC - Are we just going to pretend Pakistan isn’t scratching the hell out of this freshly changed ball? Reversing the ball that’s just been changed 2 over ago? You can literally see Haris Rauf running his thumbnail over the ball at the top of his mark," Theron wrote on X.
The accusations by Theron are sensitive in nature and come in the wake of a thrilling match that stretched into the Super Over and resulted in a sensational victory for the US team.
But what is concerning in the accusation is that it not only tarnished the reputation of the Pakistan cricket team but also brings back forgettable memories, in which, many top players have been caught trying to tamper and rough up the cricket ball to reverse it.
The latest accusation, if proven right, would be a major setback for the team and the ace bowler Rauf, who has recently made his return to the team.
After a shocking start to their T20 World Cup campaign, skipper Babar Azam said his squad carried with it a tendency to underestimate smaller and less established teams, conceding that the team performed way below its standards.
"Whenever you come into any tournament, you always do the best preparation. But you can say it’s a kind of mindset, when you come up against a team like this, you relax a little. You take things a little lightly. If you do not execute your plans against any team, then whatever team it is, it will beat you. I believe that we are not up to the mark in executing," said Babar.
"We are doing well in preparation, but in the match, we are not executing our plans as a team. We are not playing good in all three departments," he added.