Former Pakistan cricketer Basit Ali has not minced his words in criticizing Indian pacer Mohammed Shami over his recent comments about legendary batter Inzamam-UL-Haq.
The controversy arose during the T20 World Cup, following an interview where Inzamam questioned Arshdeep Singh’s ability to reverse swing the ball in the 15th over against Australia, hinting at potential foul play by the Indian team.
Inzamam’s Allegations
Inzamam’s remarks came during an interview on a local news channel. He expressed suspicion over how early Arshdeep was able to reverse swing the ball, suggesting that such behaviour warranted scrutiny.
“Arshdeep Singh, when he was bowling the 15th over, the ball was reversing. 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,” Inzamam stated emphatically.
Inzamam further elaborated, suggesting that if Pakistani bowlers had reversed the ball this early, it would have caused an uproar.
“If it was Pakistani bowlers, this would have been a big issue. We know reverse swing very well, and if Arshdeep can reverse the ball by the 15th over, it means some serious work had been done before,” he stated.
Shami’s Response
Mohammed Shami did not take kindly to these allegations. In an interview with Shubhankar Mishra on the YouTube show ‘Unplugged,’ he dismissed Inzamam’s comments, even resorting to mockery.
“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,” Shami remarked.
Basit Ali’s Reaction
Basit Ali, visibly upset by Shami’s remarks, voiced his disappointment on his YouTube channel. He felt Shami’s choice of words was disrespectful to a cricketer of Inzamam’s stature.
“When Shami talks about Inzi bhai and calls him a cartoon, that’s not right. Inzamam has led this country and captained it. Shami, your choice of words isn’t good. We praise your bowling, but you should have chosen your words better. You didn’t pick your words well, and that hurt me,” Basit said.
He emphasized the importance of respect in cricket, especially towards senior players. Basit advised Shami to be more considerate and respectful when addressing seasoned cricketers like Inzamam.
“If you think Inzi bhai said something wrong, say it nicely. Don’t call him a cartoon and all that. Have some respect. He’s a senior. You should respect your seniors,” he added.
Basit’s main contention was the lack of respect shown by Shami. He pointed out that using indecent language does not reflect well on a player and urged Shami to choose his words carefully in the future.
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