Page 123: Chapter 8
…I remember it being very hot and humid in Dambulla and as is customary with the pitches of the subcontinent, it was an awfully slow track. We were playing New Zealand and we needed results. Out of desperation, I began fussing with the ball. Yes, for those of you who want to know, I did tamper with the ball during that match. And yes, I know it’s against the rules and it is not something to be proud of – I apologized for it. I have tampered with the ball on many occasions, have been warned several times, and even been caught twice – Dambulla was one such instance. I was suspended for a match and fined seventy-five per cent of the match fee. But I can’t seem to help it; I’ve got to do something with the ball. I will make a big noise, but I won’t lie about it….
Page 124
Almost all Pakistani fast bowlers have tampered with the ball. I may be the first one to openly admit to it, but everybody is doing it. I won’t name him, but one Pakistani cricketer actually switched the ball in the umpire’s pocket with one that reversed like crazy! Umpires usually keep the ball in their coat pocket and then hang their coat up for lunch. That was when the transfer occurred. After this incident, they now leave their coasts in a locked room. To be honest with you, every team in the world tampers with the ball. We probably started it, but today, koi team dudh ki dhuli nahin hai. No team is innocent, and virtually every fast bowler does it. That is the only way to survive because the wickets are so slow….The pitches are dead and slow, and made to order for batting. It’s the bowlers who are curtailed. It’s like giving match practice to people: we are hit all over the ground.
Back home in Pakistan, bowlers have very few options other than learning how to ‘take care of the ball’… Shouldn’t the batsmen have the skill to play in difficult conditions? The result of all this whining and complaining by the batsmen is that most of the pitches are made for the, and to hell with the bowlers! We have never complained. Do we not give our best on pitches that are made to give batsmen the advantage? This is why I respect batsmen who played in the 1970s, on uncovered pitches….
Page 125
There are so many ways to prepare the ball; it’s not just a matter of scratching it. I have used my boot nails and the zip of my back pocket. Many bowlers put Vaseline or gum on the ball. The only way to stop this is for the ICC to ensure that at least some pitches are prepared in favour of bowlers. That would make the game less one sided and more balanced. The game, especially now, has become very unequal and only favours the batsmen – if you bowl a no-ball, the batsman gets a free free hit; bouncers have been curtailed; and a bowler can’t even touch his hair before picking up the ball. They have restricted us so mercilessly that I find it very difficult to feel entirely guilty about ball tampering. Since we can’t seem to stop doing it, maybe it’s not a bad idea to legalise it and set rules for it. After all, it’s still an art to use that ball. You need the pace and the skill. Not everyone can do it. Perhaps some manipulation of the ball, like scratching it with your nails, could be legally allowed….
Page 128
Kirsten and Langer are two of the bravest batsmen I have ever played against. Tough and gritty and both perfect gentlemen
Page 130
But the Indians, though they always have a great selection of talent, especially in the batting department, often play for themselves first and then for the team. In our dressing room, when we sat around discussing strategies, we always remarked upon the fact that some of the Indians would play to get runs for themselves and this would help us win the match…..India has had great batsmen, but whenever one of them walked in, we used to feel that he was going to waste many overs searching for records. I think players like Sachin Tendulkar and Rahul Dravid weren’t exactly match winners to start with, nor did they know the art of finishing a game. Things changed when younger players like Virender sehwag and Yuvraj arrived on the scene. These guys didn’t play for records, they played to win. With the coming of the younger players, the Indian team took the No. 1 Test spot – that’s the difference they’ve wrought. And Sachin has started scoring quickly, and playing the role of a match winner for his team. I can’t recall a series from his earlier playing days when he helped win matches. But now, with the help of Sehwag, Yuvraj, Gambhir, Virat Kohli and others, who are terrific batsmen and keep things, he wins matches for India. He has taken a leaf out of their book and bats beautifully.… He (Sachin) might have had more runs and records but lacked the ability to finish a game. Apne run liye aur out ho gaya. But in the last three years, I can see that he has changed his game.
Page 132
An important thing that happened to Indian cricket was the captaincy of Ganguly. I think he was a superb captain….One of the greatest gifts to his side was the very brave decision to bring in youngsters, and he backed them as well. This has changed the face of their team…
Page 135
Most of the batsmen I have bowled to were uncomfortable facing me. Rightly so – I was bowling close to 100 mph. I felt that half the Indian batting line-up was uncomfortable, and surprisingly, even the Australians shuffled.
Page 138
The following morning, I woke up and tuned in to the local news on television and my jaw dropped. A young girl had alleged that a Pakistani cricketer had raped her. I hadn’t yet closed my mouth when our team manager, followed closely by our coach Haroun Rashid, burst into my room. Rashid saw me and blurted out, “What have you done?” My response was clueless: “What on earth are you talking about?” He hissed, “This is serious – it’s a rape case!”…Trhe news was on all the television channels, especially the Indian ones, and all of them insinuated that I was the rapist. I was worried, really worried. I had never been given a break by the media and that wasn’t about to change. I immediately made an effort to contact the girl in question. I got through to her spokesperson and heaved a sigh of relief when he said that the poor girl didn’t even know me and it was another guy from my team. Eventually, the board found out the name of the player, but they didn’t bother to send out a press note saying I was innocent. They got their act together and hid his name from the media – no such protection was offered to me, and I was innocent!
Chapter 9:
Drug abuse
Page 152
I was bowling well and all seemed wonderful when one fine morning I got up and there was this news buzzing amongst the players that I had tested positive for drugs. I had failed the dope test along with Mohammad Asif. The two of us were immediately called back home and then the agony began….Some people, of course, were delighted at my predicament. Intikhab Alam was one such well-wisher…And he made it sure I would get in the neck….While the hearingw as in progress, he kept winking at me and whipsring, “It’s oka, it’s okay, you are good.” The truth was, he was mercilessly back-stabbing me, feeding false information all around. Even as he reassured me, he was talking to the news media against me, saying ridiculous things like Shoaib’s testosterone levels are very high because of the druge, and he has a very active sex life”.
Page 153
… I was made to sit for three hours outside the room, in the passage, and people kept walking by, gawking at me. Nobody cared to offer me a glass of water. How ruthless they can get! If the PCB gets hold of someone, it really knows how to finish him off – voh soctein hain maar dalo sale ko. Ek star fass gaya hai, beizzati karo iski…finally I was handed a two-year ban. Strangely, Asif, the other guy who faced the same charges, got away with a year’s ban. Different judgments for the same charges!
On Sachin (Ch: 9)
Page 148
…We managed to psychologically browbeat him. We bounced the ball at him and were able to unnerve him. I returned to the dressing room that first day with the knowledge that Sachin was not comfortable facing the fast and rising ball. And he was distinctly uncomfortable against me. That was enough to build on.”
Wasim Akram
Page 62
Wasim succeeded in keeping me out of the first Test….Wasim pushed the issue further and said five other members of the team were threatening to not play if Shoaib was allowed to…The atmosphere in the dressing room was horrible; the rest of the team ganged up against me and made things as uncomfortable as they possibly could…
On Shah Rukh Khan & Lalit Modi
Page 166
Lalit Modi had a contract that didn’t resemble mine. There was nothing in the contract that I had which indicated that the five-year ban by my board would be upheld by the IPL as well. But Modi declared that I had to be reinstated by my board before I coul play in this league….
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