Afridi-g-ate, another debate…same fate?

With shortening boundaries and more and more flat pitches, ICC must ensure a level playing field. And how about legalizing ball tampering?

Himanshu Shekhar

Stunning, immature, ridiculous, insane or just blasphemy, whatever be it, Afridi’s latest ball-eating episode has brought the focus back on Pakistan cricket. The latest act shows him in worst possible light which experts are finding it hard to defend Afridi’s act in public. Yours truly is no different. In the closet, one might say that it is nothing new, and ball tampering is something which has been in practice for decades. And that last sentence opens up a whole new debate. The momentary question might be - What was the need for a stand-in-captain to be so aggressive for a victory that he even didn’t mind eating up a kookaburra ball? As a captain, was he not supposed to lead his side as a role model? But believe me guys, the very name Shahid Afridi is not meant for doing the ‘supposed’ things. Therein lies his childish exuberance. It is that element of risk, which makes cricket a spectator sport. Those who have watched him play will know that. However, one thing which this eccentric Pakistani captain has done, is that he has put the focus back on the age old debate of ‘ball tampering’ and the art of reverse swing. Afridi-Gate is not a one-off incident in cricketing history. Way back in 1976 Madras Test, Bishen Singh Bedi had accused John Lever of applying vaseline on the ball. The jelly was used to shine one side of the ball. In fact, allegations were vehemently leveled against Waqar Younis and Wasim Akram when English press accused the speedsters of ball tampering after their batsmen miserably failed against their toe-crushing reverse swing.The duo got the benefit of doubt as there was no video evidence against them. The ICC laws were also ridiculously unkind on Indian great Sachin Tendulkar on the country’s tour of South Africa in 2001. The official match broadcaster beamed images of Sachin Tendulkar clearing the seam of the ball with his nails and referee Mike Dennese was quick to suspend him for one match on grounds of ball tampering. The ICC cricketing laws under section 42.3 say, “The ball may be polished without the use of an artificial substance, may be dried with a towel if it is wet, and have mud removed from it under supervision; all other actions which alter the condition of the ball are illegal. These are usually taken to include rubbing the ball on the ground, scuffing with a fingernail or other sharp object, or tampering with the seam of the ball.” Raising the case in bowlers’ favour, cricket expert and renowned commentator, Harsha Bhogle also advocated the need of legalizing ball tampering. “You can therefore rub the ball on your flannels to ensure the shine stays longer, but you cannot rub it on the ground, for example, to ensure it goes faster. But in either case you are altering the natural condition of the ball.” “By maintaining the shine a bowler prevents the ball from deterioration. And yet the worsening of the ball, and the ensuing implications, are at the very heart of our game. Either action seeks to make the two halves of the ball unequal, so why should one be allowed and the other outlawed? Is it because one helps conventional swing and the other encourages reverse swing, which has always been looked upon as the naughty child in the family? Or, let`s face it, is it because batsmen don`t like reverse swing?” Harsha wrote in his column.Of course, batsmen don’t like swinging deliveries and they do genuinely hate the situation where it reverses the other way. But the game of cricket needs an immediate balance, specially, with ever shrinking boundaries and more and more flat pitches. Cricket’s apex body needs to look into the debate with justice being the prime agenda. If there is no such existing norm for it, then Afridi-Gate should warrant an immediate need for one such law. I hope the International Cricket Council is listening.