BOOM Edition 3 Jul 2016 Issue | Page 43

CRICKET notorious circumstances after Kamran Akmal missed at least four straightforward opportunities to get rid of Michael Hussey, much to the chagrin of Danish Kaneria. The sting operation reported that Mazhar predicted Amir would be bowling the third over in the fourth Test and that the first ball of the over would be a no-ball delivery. Amir did bowl the third over, and on his first delivery from the over, bowled a no-ball, a good half a metre over the line. Mazhar also predicted that the sixth delivery of the 10th over would be a no-ball, and that ball, delivered by Asif, was also a ‘huge’ no-ball delivery. Punitive actions were subsequently taken against Mazhar and the three players in the aftermath of the controversy after prior warning from Yawar Saeed, the Pakistan team manager on the fateful tour, was not taken seriously by both Salman Butt and Mohammad Asif and other players at the start of the tour. It seems controversies are never far away whenever Pakistan play in England. Some say the notorious British media make it a habit to start a war of attrition to shake up every touring team to the Old Blighty, while rekindling postcolonial mentality of the so-called elite echelon of cricketers the Englishmen claim they are, particularly when playing the likes of Pakistan, India, Sri Lanka and the West Indies. Somehow it is usually Pakistan who land themselves in unnecessary trouble. But sometime with a valid reason, too. Their objection to appointment of controversial umpire David Constant during the 1987 Test series was overruled by the English authorities. Haseeb Ahsan, the outspoken manager of that team, was specifically tasked to ‘teach’ the local media a harsh lesson. Even Imran Khan as captain was very impressed by Haseeb’s handling of the entire issue and started respecting the man more and more. There is another story that Haseeb was seeking an opportunity to settle old scores with the Englishmen after his playing career was abruptly halted during Pakistan’s 1962 tour of England by allegations of the offspinner being a chucker. Ball-tampering allegations are not new to Pakistan cricket. On the 1992 and 1996 tours to England, the likes of legends Wasim Akram and Waqar Younis were creating havoc in the English ranks with the uncanny ability to make the ball swing in the reverse direction. The deadly duo shared 43 wickets in the 1992 series amidst accusations from former England players that they used unfair means to dismantle the host team 2-1 in the five-match series. Remarkably, if umpires from Pakistan are found wanting they are swiftly dubbed as cheats by visiting teams, more so by England. But what transpired in the 1987-88 series in Pakistan was a ramification of the tour a few months ago. There are many of us who have not forgotten how England missed a great chance to level the series when their battle-hardened skipper Mike Gatting and colourful Pakistani umpire Shakoor Rana got embroiled in an ugly finger-pointing confrontation during the second Test at Faisalabad as they hurled obscenities at each other. Shakoor accused Gatting of cheating by adjusting the field after informing the non-striking batsman, Salim Malik, just as spinner Eddie Hemmings was about to bowl. As Hemmings began his run-up, Gatting motioned to David Capel he had come far en