- RSS
- Today's Paper
- Subscribe
- beta 2.1
Alerts
Ball tampering: 'I have used my boot nails and back pocket zip'
In his book "Controversially Yours", Akhtar says he did not feel guilty about "working" the ball.
In his book "Controversially Yours", Akhtar says he did not feel guilty about "working" the ball. PHOTO: TMN/FILE
NEW DELHI: Former Pakistani fast bowler Shoaib Akhtar has ruffled feathers in India again in a new headline-grabbing autobiography that also contains candid admissions about ball-tampering and corruption.
The book was released in New Delhi last week, but its launch in Mumbai on Sunday was cancelled by organisers without any explanation.
The bowler, whose career was marked by allegations of drug abuse and ball-tampering, wrote that he did not feel guilty about “working” on the ball.
“The game has become very unequal and only favours the batsman,” he wrote. “If you bowl a no-ball, the batsman gets a free-hit; bouncers have been curtailed.
“They have restricted us so mercilessly that I find it very difficult to feel entirely guilty about ball tampering.”
Akhtar goes on to describe how the ball can be tampered with.
“There are so many ways to prepare the ball, it’s not just a matter of scratching it,” he wrote. “I have used my boot nails and zip of my back pocket. Many bowlers use vaseline or gum on the ball.
“The only way to stop this is for the International Cricket Council (ICC) to ensure that at least some pitches are prepared in favour of bowlers.”
His other solution is to legalise it and “set rules for it”.
“Perhaps some manipulation of the ball, like scratching it with your nails, could be legally allowed,” he added.
Criticism for Tendulkar, Dravid
The book, from the man who was once the fastest bowler in the world, takes a swipe at Indian heroes Sachin Tendulkar and Rahul Dravid, as well as unnamed figures who have “ruined” the game in Pakistan.
His comments about the star duo in “Controversially Yours”, excerpts of which have been released to the media, have especially made waves in India, Pakistan’s neighbour and great rival.
Akhtar, 36, claimed that Tendulkar and Dravid, two of the world’s top Test batsmen, played for their own records and rarely won matches for India.
“I can’t recall a series from Tendulkar’s earlier playing days when he helped win matches. He might have had more runs and records but he lacked the ability to finish a game,” he wrote.
Akhtar, who played 46 Tests and 163 one-day internationals between 1997 and 2011, recalled that on India’s tour of Pakistan in 2006 Tendulkar was “distinctly uncomfortable” facing him.
“We managed to psychologically browbeat him,” the fast bowler wrote. “We bounced the ball at him and were able to unnerve him.”
Pakistan cricket has been hit by a series of controversies, including the lengthy bans handed to three players — Salman Butt, Mohammad Aamir and Mohammad Asif — over a betting scandal last year.
Pakistan have been forced in recent years to play home series abroad after a militant attack on the Sri Lankan team in Lahore in 2009.
“I wish I had played under (former captain) Imran Khan,” wrote Akhtar.
“He was the last man who cared about the game and the Pakistan team. Unfortunately, our seniors were the most corrupt people I have known in my whole life.
“Barring a few like Rashid Latif and Moin Khan, the rest indulged in activities that certainly did not help the game, yet most of them were let off with fines.
“It was not the board alone that ruined Pakistani cricket, it was the team itself.”
Senior Indian cricket official Rajiv Shukla reacted angrily to Akhtar’s claims about Tendulkar and Dravid.
“Sachin does not need to prove anything to anyone, least of all to Shoaib,” said Shukla, a former cricket board vice-president who now heads the Indian Premier League. “Shoaib must apologise to both Tendulkar and Dravid.”
Read more:
shoaibakhtar
Reader Comments (29)
Pakistan Latest Stories
Catch me if you can: Curious case of Ali Hassan
“The way Hasan managed to get on the aircraft leaves a big question mark about the performance of ASF, says official”.
Railways jobs: Candidates’ protest forces test administration
Some 6,000 people have applied for 26 posts of ticket checkers and guards in the Multan division.
Consumer court: Battery shop sued for Rs95,000
Petitioner asked the court to direct the respondent to pay him Rs95,000 in damages.
Murder Accused Flees: Two constables arrested for negligence
Civil Lines police have arrested the constables and registered a case negligence against them.
Commercial land: LDA auction of 21 plots tomorrow
The auction will be on an ‘as is, where is’ basis.
Load Management: ‘Loadshedding will be limited to eight hours’
DCO directed the MEPCO and police officials to cooperate with each other on issues related to safety of transformers.
Engineering consultancy: NESPAK lands irrigation project in Iraq
NESPAK Water Resources Division Vice President will travel to Iraq towards the end of the month to sign the agreement.
‘University of Agriculture on the verge of bankruptcy’
‘30,000 students need to be trained to meet the challenges of food security’.
City’s waste collection: a case study
Waste management reform, performance and future strategies highlighted.
The powerless: Traders, students protest against loadshedding
Traders give MEPCO 48 hours to fix the problem.
Recent Slideshows
More in Pakistan
Pakistan can respond to attack on its soil: Khosa
This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, redistributed or derived from.
Unless otherwise stated, all content is copyrighted © 2013 The Express Tribune News Network.
Technical feedback? [email protected]
MI is certainly never recruiting this guy, SRK was his hope now he has killed that too! Unlike Wasim Akram, this guy has no idea of the whereabouts of the golden goose of cricket. Me thinks book sales is the only thing this ‘c’ will get out of India.Recommend
Dude go go go :) You Rocks
Recommend
Shoaib may be an annoying diva, but, he must be the most honest cricketer to come out of Pakistan in recent years.
Recommend
I don’t know whether to beleive it or not whatever ex-speed star is saying about ball tempring and alleging his seniros about screwing his career, because of his bad conduct, rudness and the derogatery attitude towards his peers & cricket officials, he is known to be the most controvercial and indisciplined player ever produced by Pakistan Cricket.
Many times he came up with appologies and made promisces that he will not get involved in these activities again and got the chance to Play for Pakistan and he never gave a second thaught that he is disgracing and humiliating the whole Pakistani Nation because of his childish and immature approach, ultimately did not learn the lesson till the end of his controvercial career.
The abscence of integrity,credibility on his account and the habit of changing his own statments, nobody is going to beleive whatever he is saying. Last but not the least Speed is not every thing in Cricket, apart from proffesional skills you have to show your chracter and it is the most difficult part especially you are flying with the wings of stardom. I dont know Sachin and Dravid were threatened or not but they have shown their chrachter and known as One of the Best Players of contemprory cricket around the world.
I would recommend put your house in order first then point out fingers on others.
God Bless you.
Recommend
Whatsoever Shoaib Akhtar was the EVER BEST FASTEST BOWLER of PK CRICKET Team and he will remain the same in our heart!
May Allah bless him!
Recommend
He is the ill disciplined sportsman. He always have issues with team mates, management and everyone….idiotRecommend
the way paki cricket is going on i see this as the only solution to solving things
Recommend
Great, another black stain on Pakistan’s image. Another corrupt, tainted cricketer. These are the people we worship in Pakistan
Please save Pakistan from this delusion.Recommend
Shoaib, you have your flaws, some of them phenomenal, but kudos for speaking out your mind, as ever. Now be ready to pay the price. South Asia’s culture does not brook flawed and idiosyncratic but straight talking humans, instead it constantly seeks hypocrite avatars. Hypocrisy my friend is the skill needed here, which you never learned and that’s why have messed up your life. A bit of hypocrisy – and you could have done much better, despite all your failings that are bandied about.
Recommend
I bet more than 90% of the commentators neither have read the book nor have any such plans. Recommend
@Remorseless Idiot:
In fact the entire indian nation and the whole maha indian team combined are reading this book and will make it one of the biggest hits in autobiographies. Hilarious!Recommend
shoaib is almost certainly self destructing , but to give the guy credit, he speaks the truth and unlike many (apparently ) religious personalities at least no one has accused him of match fixing.He is the sort of person who if he had indulged in match fixing everyone would have pointed it out.
So dude best of luck , the truth is always good (but a little dose of humility never hurt anyone) :)
Recommend
good shoib we know u r best.. rock
Recommend
c0me 0n speak l0udly, we ashmed…..
Recommend
If we look in to the cricket records
Recommendwe can't find his name anywhere
What he is doing now trying to
make it up?.
I am sure he wll fail again.
Freedom of speech………….speak out loud and clear to everyone, which would be pinching for most of them
Recommend
Wasn’t he focused on breaking his speed records, instead of bowling smartly to win matches. He could have left cricket with some grace. No one is perfect and every one makes mistakes, however people he is accusing and trashing will be remembered in much better words than him.
Recommend
He has confirmed which was known to the cricketing world all along.
No body is bigger than the game, something he never understood.
Recommend
Couldn’t agree more with Asif’s comment below. The man speaks the truth, dead on;
“Shoaib, you have your flaws, some of them phenomenal, but kudos for speaking out your mind, as ever. Now be ready to pay the price. South Asia’s culture does not brook flawed and idiosyncratic but straight talking humans, instead it constantly seeks hypocrite avatars. Hypocrisy my friend is the skill needed here, which you never learned and that’s why have messed up your life. A bit of hypocrisy – and you could have done much better, despite all your failings that are bandied about.”
Recommend
What a shame!
Akhat should have realized what he was talking about? why they are keep on dragging past to become hit in present. there is no way Akhar that you can beat any one with your bowling. Look at the sachins record, he is much more experienced player, have played cricket more than you, and have tasted all types of rules in the cricket era as he is playing since he was 16….
so by serving cricket 11 years doesnt give you rights any thing about any player…
also about ball tampering, Since when we have started justifying our short comings of bowling ability…….
Recommend
What about 2003 world cup,when sachin hits akhtar in his over one 6 and three fours.sachin not get feared by any fast bowler. World best bowler macgrath also admire of sachin and say he is best and even bredman say he is playing like me.Recommend
Now that shoaid admitted having tampered the ball throughout his hiccups filled career, his world recorded fastest ball of plus 165 km is now no more in his name and now Brett lee will be considered the fastest bowler ever produced in world of cricket. More interestingly, shoaib’s victims breakup is as follows: batting order 1 to 4 ( top order 10% dismissals ) batting order 5 to 7 ( middle order 10% dismissals ) batting order 8 to 11 ( tail enders 80% dismissals ) So players like balaji, zaheer khan etc will be shying at the rawalpindi (derailed ) express and no top order batsman cared for his tampered speed ( self admitted )
Recommend
Everybody is free to write and think whatever he/she wants.
In Short if somebody doesn’t like what someone written, don’t buy and read the book…………….Simple
Recommend
@ My name is indian
Im Pakistani and majority of us also admire Sachin for what he is. It was extremely pathetic of Shoaib to stage this drama for money, even if Sachin is not a match-winner. Most awful part is that this crap publicly admits and supports this illegal ball tampering thing, shameful.
Recommend
What is the price & where the book is availible?
Recommend
Shoaid has started a great debate, now it is up to the cricket statisticians to come up with a criteria for gauging who plays for himself and whose performance brings success to this team.
Recommend
whatever said above but 1 thing that he has been 1 of the honest cricketer towards the game never sold out his talent , and that is what maters the most rather than being rude and all other controversies towards him , what matters is the loyal employee of the company how many of the people here had the chance of running a company(team) or playing as the part of the team would know that the honest employee is favored the most despite of having issues with the other employees , BUT this man was never favored, always humiliated or mortified afterall honest comes with a lil rudeness in the behavior , that is natural.
Recommend
One thing is for sure .. even lunatics have fans …
Recommend
@Patriot….look whos talking
Recommend