Former Pakistan opener Salman Butt seemed to be siding with Rohit Sharma and said that Inzamam-ul-Haq was wrong in his assumption.
The spat, which is creating a lot of buzz on social media, started after former Pakistan captain Inzamam-ul-Haq made a bizarre comment. Inzamam was speaking on a live TV show on a Pakistani channel and in it he made a cryptic allegation about Indian captain Rohit Sharma having committed ball tampering.
What exactly happened between Inzamam-ul-Haq and Rohit Sharma?
Inzamam-ul-Haq spoke from his observation that Arshdeep Singh’s 15th against England looked astonishing when the ball began to reverse swing.
He felt that such a change cannot happen naturally and there was something artificial about it, hinting at the fact that Rohit Sharma and Co. are tampering with the ball.
The comments made by Inzamam-ul-Haq spread like wildfire and were also said to Rohit Sharma during a press conference.
On hearing those comments, Rohit said that it is common sense for the ball to change direction when the conditions are so hot and humid. The Indian captain did not say anything further on the matter.
Then, a few days later, Inzamam-ul-Haq came to know about Rohit Sharma’s response and he did not back down and responded again.
He claimed that Pakistani bowlers are the ones who invented reverse swing and that he doesn’t have to know from Rohit why the ball is moving unnaturally.
What did Salman Butt say?
In a recent talk show, Salman Butt expressed his surprise on hearing such comments from his former captain. Butt stated that he would refrain from saying anything about it, but that the reverse swing is something that all teams do.
The former starter explained that because the batters hit the ball with so much force, it ends up going into the stands and hitting the edge of the seats and the balls.
In that case, the ball can become rough on one side and shiny on the other and this is how the reverse swing occurs.
Salman Butt also spoke about the tactical aspect and stated that many players have learned to make the ball go backwards. Butt admitted it’s not rocket science and not even a secret.
Finally, Salman Butt said that Inzamam-ul-Haq did not need to say it, given his experience and the respect he has earned through the game.
“So I think this is a tactic. Hitters hit the ball out of the park, which ends up hitting the edge of a seat and the walls. For that reason, let’s say the ball gets rough, and when one side stays soft while the other side remains hard, that’s enough for a reverse swing. This is not rocket science.”
“It can also be a tactical decision, the tough team goes down while the bright team stays on top, all the players know that. So I think the captain didn’t have to say it, given his stature and the experience he gained in his career,” Salman Butt said.
Watch the video
Salman Butt on the ball-tampering controversy. You should listen, it makes a lot of sense.
“Inzi shouldn’t have said that. Everyone does this nowadays. When 🇵🇰 did it, they called it ball manipulation and when everyone learned it, they called it reverse swing art.”
image.twitter.com/ncv4a0bP1W—M (@anngrypakiistan) June 28, 2024
