Although the legendary Pakistan fast bowler has described Cummins as a close friend and praised his leadership, he made it clear that he was speaking only from his experience as a fast bowler. He feels the marks left by sandpaper are very different from the normal scratches a ball gets during a match.
Wasim Akram shared his views on Saturday (November 14) a day after Pat Cummins addressed the controversy in a 68-minute press conference and rejected Usman Khawaja's claims about the Australian team's knowledge of the ball-tampering plan in Cape Town in 2018.
However, the former Pakistan captain believes the scratches caused by sandpaper are completely different and cannot easily go unnoticed by an experienced bowler. Wasim Akram said in a video shared on X (formerly Twitter): “I saw Pat Cummins, who’s a very close friend of mine, a great cricketer, one of the top leaders in world cricket, the way he leads his team from the front, and he said he didn’t know.
Wasim Akram says experienced bowlers can spot tampering
The legendary pacer explained that anyone can understand the difference by rubbing sandpaper on a semi-new cricket ball and comparing the marks with those caused by normal play.
Akram stressed that he was not taking anyone's side in the ball-tampering controversy. He hopes the matter gets resolved soon, as the controversy has once again put the entire Australian cricket team under pressure.
He signed off by saying, “The whole nation has been under stress. Eight years ago and back to it again. I hope things get sorted out. This is my take as a bowler. As an experienced bowler, when I look at the ball, I will know straightaway something is not right.”
— Sheri. (@CallMeSheri1_) November 14, 2026
The Sandpapergate scandal
The Sandpapergate scandal took place during Australia's 2018 Test series in South Africa. David Warner, Steve Smith, and Cameron Bancroft were found guilty of ball tampering.
The controversy returned to the headlines after Usman Khawaja released his autobiography, where he claimed that the entire Australian team knew about the plan to tamper with the ball. Cummins and Starc have rejected his claims, while Warner has supported Khawaja's claims.
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