“I want to have the same thing these guys are having” - Wasim Akram takes a dig at Hasan Raza over “different balls for India” claim 

Former Pakistan captain Wasim Akram has taken a dig at Hasan Raza for his statement that India is being given different balls, which offer more assistance to their pacers, at the 2023 World Cup. Reacting to the former cricketer’s comments, Akram quipped that he would "want to have the same thing these guys are having."

India’s pace bowlers have been absolutely brilliant in the World Cup. While Jasprit Bumrah has claimed 15 wickets from seven matches at an average of 14.60, Mohammed Shami has picked up 14 wickets in three games at a sensational average of 6.71. Mohammed Siraj has also chipped in with some key wickets.

Reacting to Hasan’s remarks over Indian bowlers being given different balls that assist swing a lot more, Akram said on A Sports:

“I have been reading about it for the last couple of days. I want to have the same thing these guys are having, sounds like fun because their mind is not there. You will embarrass yourself and you will get us humiliated as well in front of the whole world.”

Explaining the procedure of how a ball is selected for a particular match, the Pakistan legend added:

"It's a very simple thing. The umpire goes to the team that is bowling first after the toss with a box filled with 12 balls. There would the four umpires and the referee and a few other people. If I am bowling first then I will pick one ball as my first option and the other as my second option. Both options the umpire keeps with himself so that in case the first ball goes bad, the second option is right there.

“Then he takes the box to the other dressing room, with a lot of people with him. They also pick two balls. They go to the fourth umpire and in that same room the referee and a few other people also sit and show the two options. So who thinks of all this?”

Shami and Siraj combined to claim eight wickets against Sri Lanka and bundle out the opponents for 55 in Mumbai.

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What Hasan Raza said about Indian bowlers’ performance

While sharing his views on Indian pacers’ excellent performance in the World Cup, Raza opined that he was surprised by the amount of seam and swing that Shami and Siraj were getting. He also called for an inspection of the balls being used.

“The way Siraj and Shami were swinging the ball, it seemed like the ICC or the BCCI were giving them different and suspicious balls in the second innings. There needs to be an inspection done on the ball. There could also be an extra layer of coating on the ball for swing," he commented.

India are undefeated in the 2023 World Cup so far, having won seven in seven.