New Delhi: Pakistan off-spinner Saeed Ajmal retired from international cricket on Wednesday (November 29), and as a parting gift to his fans, the 40-year-old reignited the 2011 World Cup controversy involving Indian batting great Sachin Tendulkar.


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In the second semi-final at Mohali, batting first, India lost Virender Sehwag in the 6th over, then were two down after Ajmal trapped Sachin Tendulkar in front. Ian Gould had no hesitation raising his finger.


But India took the gamble and utilised the one remaining DRS review. To the surprise of Pakistani players, the ball tracking showed the trajectory missing the leg stump.


At that time, Tendulkar was batting on 23. But he went on to play a match-winning knock of 85 runs. India subsequently won the match by 29 runs, thus setting up that famous Mumbai final.


But Ajmal still thinks that it was a certain wicket.


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"I was totally convinced I had him in front of the stumps but how the umpires didn't give him out I still can't understand," PTI quoted Ajmal as saying on Thursday.


Ajmal subsequently got the wicket of Tendulkar, but the 'reprieve' had already created a huge controversy, forcing Hawk-Eye Innovations to publish an analysis of the incident.


Ajmal claimed that he had bowled an arm ball that Hawk-Eye had somehow misread. Then, there were even rumours in Pakistan that a wrong delivery had somehow been super-imposed, perhaps as part of a deliberate plot.


Relive the moment here:



Ajmal admitted that bowling to Indian batsmen spurred him on.


"It was always a test of skills and nerves when bowling to Tendulkar and company."


After a successful but controversial career, Ajmal finished with 178 wickets in 35 Tests, the last of which was at Galle in Sri Lanka in 2014, where his bowling action was reported for the second time.