"Everyone does a little bit; Pakistan bowler do it a bit more" - Praveen Kumar makes staggering claim regarding ball-tampering for reverse swing
Former Indian pacer Praveen Kumar made an audacious claim regarding ball tampering to produce reverse swing, specifically emphasizing Pakistan bowlers. While the art of reverse swing has all but died in cricket due to the introduction of two new balls, it was prominent in the 1990s and 2000s.
Several legendary Pakistan pacers like Sarfaraz Nawaz, Imran Khan, Wasim Akram, and Waqar Younis mastered the art. They used it to tremendous effect, especially in the death overs with the old ball.
In a chat with TheLallantop, Praveen Kumar was asked about ball tempering being in operation to generate reverse swing. He replied:
"Everyone does a little bit; they (Pakistan bowlers) do it a bit more. That's what I've heard. Now, there are cameras everywhere. Earlier, all used to do it. And everyone knows as well. They would scratch it from one side, but one must know how to use that skill, too. If I scratch the ball and give to someone, one must have the skills to reverse-swing it. One has to learn that."
It comes after former Pakistan cricketer Hasan Raza's controversial remark during the recent ODI World Cup. He accused the ICC and the BCCI of giving different balls to Indian pacers.
Praveen Kumar survived a horrific car accident last year
Praveen Kumar and his son met with a car accident in Meerut in June last year. But they barely survived after being hit by a truck at high speed.
The accident took place when Kumar was returning from Pandav Nagar, with their vehicle getting brutally damaged. People gathered soon at the spot and informed the police, who immediately arrested the alleged truck driver.
Earlier, the 37-year-old struggled with stress-related illness, and the former pacer worked to recover from that.
Despite an injury-plagued career, Praveen was often MS Dhoni's go-to seamer and India's pace spearhead in ODIs between 2008 and 2012.
Praveen had his most memorable moment for India when he helped the side achieve the monumental result of beating Australia down under in the Commonwealth Bank series in 2008.
Despite playing in only four games, Praveen Kumar picked up 10 wickets, including a four-wicket haul in the second of the best-of-three final series to help India clinch the title.
The skilled pacer picked up 21 wickets in 14 ODIs in 2008 and followed it up with 17 and 19 scalps in 2009 and 2010. Praveen Kumar was selected to the Indian squad for the 2011 World Cup at home but was later replaced by S Sreesanth, owing to injury.
Overall, he finished with 112 wickets for India across formats in 84 matches, with 38 scalps coming against Australia and England.