India pacer Mohammed Shami emerged as the top wicket-taker in the Cricket World Cup 2023, taking 24 wickets in just 7 matches. His outstanding performances with the ball propelled India to the final of the tournament. However, amidst the celebrations, some strange accusations surfaced from Pakistan, with former player Hasan Raza alleging that the Indian team had cheated. Raza claimed that Shami and the Indian bowlers were given different balls compared to their opponents. Shami, perplexed by these allegations, responded to them.
Interestingly, Shami did not feature in India’s playing XI for the first game. In fact, he was absent from the team for the initial 4 World Cup matches before being included due to Hardik Pandya’s injury. Shami quickly made an impact, taking two five-wicket hauls and a four-wicket haul in the next 7 matches he played. However, in light of the comments from former Pakistani cricket stars, Shami expressed his belief that they were unable to accept his success.
“I hope that 10 bowlers can achieve what I have. I am not envious of anyone. If you learn to appreciate the success of others, you will become a better player,” Shami stated in an interview with Puma.
“I have been hearing a lot of things in the past few days. I wasn’t part of the playing XI initially, but when I was included, I took 5 wickets. In the following two games, I dismissed 4 and 5 batsmen. Some Pakistani players were unable to digest my success. They believe they are the best. However, in my opinion, the best player is the one who performs when it matters,” he added.
Shami found it perplexing that a former player like Hasan Raza would make baseless comments about the use of different balls.
“They were unnecessarily creating controversy. They claimed we were given different types of balls. Even Wasim Akram explained the ball selection process on one of his shows. It is disappointing to hear such statements from someone who has played the game and was an ex-player,” Shami concluded.
In the midst of the accusations and controversy, Shami’s exceptional performance in the Cricket World Cup 2023 serves as a testament to his skill and resilience.
