"They played with the ball" - Ex-Pakistan cricketer accuses AUS of ball tampering against Kohli and Pujara

During the ongoing World Test Championship final, Australia's dominant performance against India has been marred by serious allegations of ball tampering made by a former Pakistani cricketer. The Australian team allegedly manipulated the ball around the 15th over, which resulted in the dismissals of Virat Kohli and Cheteshwar Pujara - two of India's top batters.

Basit Ali expressed his surprise at the lack of attention given to Australia's tactics at The Oval, including the officials, commentators, and even the Indian batters themselves.

"Firstly, I would clap for those watching the match from commentary box, and the umpires. Australia clearly played with the ball and no one is talking about it. No batter is wondering 'What is happening?' The biggest example is batters getting bowled while leaving the ball. Let me give you the evidence too. Until the 54th over when Shami was bowling, the shine was on the outside and the ball moved back into Steve Smith. This is not called reverse-swing. Reverse swing is when the shine is on the inside and the ball comes back in," Ali said on his YouTube channel.

Australia gained advantage after the new ball was introduced in the 18th over

Ali emphasizes that the 16th to 18th overs provide clear evidence of ball tampering, particularly when referring to the dismissals of Kohli and Pujara. In the 18th over, the ball was replaced on the instructions of umpire Richard Kettleborough due to it losing its shape. Ali believes that this is when Australia gained an advantage, as India went from 30/2 to 71/4 when the new ball was introduced.

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Pujara was bowled while leaving a seemingly straightforward delivery, while Kohli fell victim to a vicious bouncer from Mitchell Starc during his second spell. Ali explains that the two different balls played a crucial role, stating that the Dukes ball does not exhibit reverse swing before the 40-over mark.

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