After back-to-back wins against Canada and Pakistan, the co-hosts are now in a strong position to qualify for the Super 8 round of the ongoing mega-event tournament
Pakistan fast bowler Haris Rauf has been accused of ball tampering by former South African cricketer and current USA cricket team member Rusty Theron during a T20 World Cup match against the USA on June 6 in Dallas.
The game took a dramatic turn when Pakistan decided to change the ball at the start of the 13th over, with the USA team in a strong position at 94 for one. This decision, now under scrutiny, has potentially altered the course of the match.
USA captain Monank Patel continued the momentum by hitting Shaheen Afridi for a four and a six in consecutive deliveries.
Haris Rauf then dismissed Andries Gous with the first ball of the next over, which showed a hint of reverse swing as it struck the top of the off stump.
It was a tweet that sparked a firestorm. Theron, in a move that would bring the matter to the ICC's attention, accused Haris of scratching the freshly-changed ball with his fingernail, leading to the reverse swing. This single act has now become the focus of a major investigation.
Theron's tweet read: “@ICC are we just going to pretend Pakistan aren't scratching the hell out of this freshly changed ball? Reversing the ball that's just been changed 2 overs ago? You can literally see Haris Rauf running his thumbnail over the ball at the top of his mark. @usacricket #PakvsUSA.”
After back-to-back wins against Canada and Pakistan, the co-hosts are now in a strong position to qualify for the Super 8 round of the ongoing mega-event tournament.
The Men in Green will play their next match against arch-rivals India on June 9 at the Nassau County International Stadium in New York.