Srinagar: India’s ace pacer Mohammad Shami has hit out at former Pakistan players who started making conspiracy theories after the success of India pacer in the World Cup 2023.
Though Virat Kohli for scoring huge runs in the tournament was named player of the tournament, some believed that Mohammad Shami was deserving one. Such was his impact and performance in the matches he played.
The pacer took 24 wickets, returning as the highest wicket-taker of the tournament.
When the Indian pacers were making the opposition batters dance to their tunes, brushing aside quality teams like England, Sri Lanka, and South Africa as if they were club teams, Hasan Raza, a former Pakistan cricketer came up with an absurd theory. The former batter said ICC might be giving different balls to the Indian pacers and hence they were able to extract so much movement.
Shami was the only Indian cricketer to take note of that. He shared an Instagram story lambasting the conspiracy theory.
“I know I can be bitter while speaking the truth but if I don’t open my mouth after all this then it won’t be right,” he said in a podcast with PUMA.
“I’m not jealous of anybody. If you start enjoying the success of others then you can become a better player. I was not playing at the beginning (of the World Cup). Jab khel raha that World Cup, toh 5 wickets liye, 4 wickets aur fir se 5 wickets liye. Kuch Pakistan ke players ko ye baat hajam nahi ho rahi toh mai kya karu. Kyuki unke dimaag mein ye hai ki ham best hai. Bhai best woh hota hai jo time per perform kare….aap usme controversy banaya chale ja rahe ho, ki tumhe ball kuch aur colour ki mil rahi hai..kisi aur company ki mil rahi hai….Sudhar jao yaar. (When I started playing, I picked up five wickets then got four and then another five-for. Some Pakistani players couldn’t digest it. They think they are the best. The one who performs at the right time is the best. You are creating controversy for no reason. You are saying we are getting different balls, from different companies and all that. Learn your lesson),” Shami added.
Shami also added that the legendary Wasim Akram explained the process of selecting balls in international cricket but despite that, some former cricketers said all this.
“Wasim Akram had explained how the ball is chosen. How the fourth umpire brings a box to the fielding team but despite that you say all this? It is understandable if you have not played the game at all. But when an ex-player says all these things, I don’t think people would do anything else apart from laughing,” he said.