"Jahiliyat at its peak" - Fans react as former Pakistan cricketer raises fingers at ICC & BCCI, says, 'ball gets changed' for India in 2023 World Cup
A clinical all-around performance helped India beat Sri Lanka by 302 runs in the 2023 World Cup match at Wankhede Stadium in Mumbai on Thursday, November 2.
The bowling unit looked solid as they bundled out the Islanders for just 55 in 19.4 overs. That came after Shubman Gill, Virat Kohli and Shreyas Iyer shone with the bat, scoring run-a-ball 92, 88 (94), and 82 (56), respectively, as the hosts posted 357/8 in their allotted 50 overs.
With the win, the Men in Blue became the first team to qualify for the World Cup semifinal.
Mohammed Shami starred with the ball, finishing with sensational figures of 5/18 to become India’s leading wicket-taker in ODI World Cups by eclipsing Zaheer Khan and Javagal Srinath (44 wickets).
Mohammed Siraj also continued his brilliant performance against Sri Lanka by taking three wickets to destroy the top order in his opening two overs. Jasprit Bumrah and Ravindra Jadeja also settled for one apiece.
Apart from former Indian cricketers, ex-Pakistan captains Wasim Akram, Misbah-ul-Haq, Moin Khan and Shoaib Malik lauded the bowling unit for their exploits in the World Cup.
However, former Pakistan cricketer Hasan Raza made a weird claim that the Indian bowlers get different balls, saying there could be foul play by the International Cricket Council (ICC) and the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI).
Raza told ABN news:
“Shayad ball bhi change ho jata hai second innings mein; jiss tareeke se ICC ball de raha hai, ya fir third umpire panel de raha hai, ya BCCI de raha hai; iska inspection hona chahiye."
Translated version:
"Maybe the ball gets changed in the second innings; The way the ICC is handling the ball, or the third umpire panel, or the BCCI; It should be inspected.”
Watch the video below:
Fans on X roasted the Pakistani channel and the former international cricket for their bizarre claim. One user wrote:
"Jahiliyat at its peak. Isse badi jahiliyat nahi ho sakte. (Illiteracy tat its peak. Nothing can be more illterate than this)"
Here are some more reactions:
For the unversed, Hasan Raza has represented Pakistan in seven Tests and 16 ODIs. The right-handed batter has also played 232 first-class matches and 197 List-A games, scoring over 19,000 runs, including 44 tons and 90 half-centuries.
How have India performed in 2023 World Cup so far?
October 8: beat Australia by six wickets
October 11: beat Afghanistan by eight wickets
October 14: beat Pakistan by seven wickets
October 19: beat Bangladesh by seven wickets
October 22: beat New Zealand by four wickets
October 29: beat England by 100 runs
November 2: beat Sri Lanka by 302 runs
November 5: vs South Africa at Eden Gardens in Kolkata at 2 pm IST
November 12: vs Netherlands at M Chinnaswamy Stadium in Bengaluru at 2 pm IST
November 15: 1st semifinal (T1 vs T4)
November 16: 2nd semifinal (T2 vs T3)
November 19: Final