Former Pakistan cricketer Basit Ali Accuses Australia of Ball Tampering in WTC Final, Raises Concerns over Umpires and Officials’ Observations

Amidst Australia’s strong performance against India in the ongoing World Test Championship final, former Pakistan cricketer Basit Ali has made serious allegations of ball tampering against the Australian team. Ali claims that the Australians tampered with the ball around the 15th over, using it to their advantage in dismissing two of India’s top batsmen, Virat Kohli and Cheteshwar Pujara. Despite the dismissals and his accusations, Ali expresses his surprise that no one, including officials, commentators, or the Indian batsmen themselves, seemed to notice or address Australia’s alleged tactics at The Oval.

Ali stated on his YouTube channel, “I must applaud those who were watching the match from the commentary box, but what about the umpires? It is evident that Australia manipulated the ball, yet no one is talking about it. No batsman seemed to be wondering what was happening. The prime example is the batsmen getting bowled while leaving the ball. Let me provide you with the evidence as well. Until the 54th over when Shami was bowling, the shine was on the outside and the ball moved back into Steve Smith. This is not reverse-swing. Reverse swing occurs when the shine is on the inside, and the ball moves back in.”

Ali further pointed out that overs 16 to 18 showcased clear indications of ball tampering, emphasizing the dismissals of Kohli and Pujara. In the 18th over, the ball was changed on the instructions of umpire Richard Kettleborough after it had become misshapen. Ali believes that it was during this ball change that Australia gained an advantage, as India went from 30/2 to 71/4.

It is important to note that these are allegations made by Basit Ali, and there is no official confirmation or investigation into the matter at this time.