"He said one bad word, in return he received 20" - Kamran Akmal recalls on-field spat with Ishant Sharma
Pakistan's keeper-batter Kamran Akmal recently shared details about his on-field altercation with Indian pacer Ishant Sharma during the T20I series between the two arch-rivals in December 2012.
Tempers flared during the opening encounter of the series in Bangalore, as Akmal and Sharma engaged in a verbal duel. Recalling the incident, the Pakistani veteran suggested that the fast bowler abused him first.
Akmal revealed that while Sharma cursed him once, he retaliated by using around 20 abusive words. He also mentioned that the likes of Virat Kohli, Shoaib Malik, and Mohammad Hafeez felt that the pacer was at fault.
During an appearance on the Cricwick podcast, he remarked:
"Ishant abused me. He said one bad word, in return he received 20. I'm honest here. We had our flight to Ahmedabad next day, there was a T20I match. I, Virat (Kohli), Shoaib Malik, and (Mohammad) Hafeez were sitting. Somebody asked, 'What exactly happened between you two?' Ishant said, 'After bowling, I just said a bad word to him. Everybody said, you deserved it coming!'"
Notably, the argument took place after Akmal was given not out after being caught off Sharma's bowling. He survived because it was a no ball. He was beaten on the ensuing delivery, after which the two had a heated exchange.
Akmal and Sharma were fined 5% and 15% of their match fees, respectively, by match referee Roshan Mahanama.
"Thankfully, Dhoni, the Captain Cool, then Raina also interfered" - Kamran Akmal on his fight with Ishant Sharma
Kamran Akmal further stated that things could have escalated quickly, which might have resulted in him getting banned for a couple of matches due to his argument with Ishant Sharma.
He recalled that MS Dhoni and Suresh Raina intervened to defuse the situation, claiming that even they were aware of who was at fault, adding:
"It turned out to be serious. But thankfully, (MS) Dhoni, the Captain Cool, then (Suresh) Raina also interfered. They knew who was at fault, so they settled the situation, otherwise, it would've been worse. I could've been banned for two matches, penalized for five match fees. It was pretty serious."
Kamran Akmal was dismissed for just one run in the contest. Pakistan secured a five-wicket win in the T20I series opener. It is worth mentioning that the two nations have not competed against each other in a bilateral series since the tour.