Rubbing it the wrong way - the most famous ball tampering incidents in cricket

Wasim Akram and Waqar Younis in 1992 and 2000 – Scuffed with a cork

Wasim Akram and Waqar Younis – the two Ws were often accused of doctoring the ball

Pakistan and ball tampering has been synonymous since the advent of reverse swing. Sarfaraz Nawaz and Sikardar Bakht stunned the world with their new found weapon and Wasim Akram and Waqar Younis elevated it to an art form to devastate sides all around the globe.

However, their rise was met with suspicion. In 1992, Wasim Akram terrorized the English batsmen with his mastery with the old ball. He got the old ball to swing prodigiously leaving the England batsman clueless on their home ground.

Waqar Younis too, followed suit and along with Akram made life difficult for the English. However, the English press accused the Pakistani duo of ball tampering. They accused them of using soft drink bottle caps to scuff up one side of the ball so as to induce reverse swing. Although the allegations gained a lot of strength in the media circle, no charges were pressed due to lack of conclusive evidence.

But in 2000, Waqar Younis was the first bowler who was banned for ball tampering. The Pakistani speedster was found guilty as footages showed him in the act of lifting the seam off the ball during an ODI against South Africa in Colombo. Along with Waqar, Pakistani captain Moin Khan and the talented all-rounder Azhar Mahmood were also hauled up but were only charged with 30% of their match fee each.