USA pacer Rusty Theron has accused the Pakistan team and its bowler Haris Rauf of altering the condition of the ball by running a nail on it. The alleged incident happened in the Pakistan vs USA T20 World Cup 2024 match on June 6 in Dallas, Texas.
The United States pulled off one of the greatest upsets in T20 World Cup history, upsetting Pakistan in the Super Over. After leveling the Men in Green’s score of 159 in 20 overs in the second innings, the co-hosts forced a Super Over and won by reducing Pakistan to 13/1 while defending 18 runs, owing to Saurabh Netravalkar’s bowling heroics.
The USA camp exploded in celebration as they recorded a historic triumph in cricket history. The co-hosts are at the top of the Group A table with two consecutive victories over Canada and Pakistan in the ongoing T20 World Cup 2024.
ICC are we just going to pretend Pakistan isn’t scratching the new ball- Rusty Theron
Rusty Theron, a former South African-American cricketer, has questioned the International Cricket Council (ICC) and accused Pakistan of ball tampering during the ICC Men’s T20 World Cup match versus the United States.
Theron claimed that the Pakistan squad was vigorously scratching the ball and that the bowler, Haris Rauf, was rubbing his nail over it. The USA overcame Pakistan in a Super Over thriller, making Group A of the upcoming tournament more interesting.
“@ICC are we just going to pretend Pakistan aren’t scratching the hell out of this freshly changed ball? Reversing the ball that’s just been changed 2 overs ago? You can literally see Harris Rauf running his thumbnail over the ball at the top of his mark. @usacricket #PakvsUSA,” Theron wrote on Twitter (now X.)
@ICC are we just going to pretend Pakistan aren't scratching the hell out of this freshly changed ball? Reversing the ball that's just been changed 2 overs ago? You can literally see Harris Rauf running his thumb nail over the ball at the top of his mark. @usacricket #PakvsUSA
— Rusty Theron (@RustyTheron) June 6, 2024
From the 14th to the 19th over, the United States scored only 41 runs in six overs, while Pakistan responded with a disciplined bowling performance that featured a handful of wickets. The USA needed 15 runs in the last over, and Haris Rauf, who had been superb prior to that over, let away 14 to send the match into a super-over decider.
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