Picture Credit: Twitter
Ball-tampering is one of the most unfortunate aspects in the cricket field, and the matter has again resurfaced. The event occurred during the 3rd ODI against Afghanistan, which concluded on Tuesday, with the latter winning the match by 75-runs. In the 31st over of the game, the unfortunate incident occurred when right-arm pacer Brandon Glover was bowling the over, but the stand-in captain found something unusual with the ball.
As the stand-in umpires took a close look at the bowl, they found the bowl was tampered with by the Dutch and taking stern action, they warned the team and penalised them with five runs docked from their quota. Notably, Afghanistan captain Hashmatulla Shahidi demanded a ball change after the incident came to light, to which umpires agreed. However, Afghanistan finished the game as the winning side, and the Netherlands suffered whitewashed in the three ODIs.
What happened in the match?
Batting first, Afghanistan posted a total of 254 at the loss of 5-wickets, due to an impressive debut by Riaz Hassan, who went on to score 50 off 75 balls. The debutant steading the ship for Afghanistan with Rahmat Shah, together they build the 86-run stand, followed by a blistering knock from Najibullah Zadran.
He scored 71 off 59 deliveries, which eventually helped the team to pose defending total on board. While chasing, the Netherlands started well as their opening pair, Scott Edwards and Colin Ackermann, added 103 runs for the first wicket. But, later team suffered a batting collapse bundled out for 179, losing the contest by 75-runs.
The victory ensured better standings at the ICC ODI Super League points table for Afghanistan. Meanwhile, the Netherlands continued to languish at 13th place.
Rules regarding ball-tampering
As per law, if the umpires consider the condition of the ball unfairly changed by a member of either side, they shall ask the captain of the opposite side if they would like the ball to be replaced. In the case of the batting side, the batters at the wicket may substitute their captain.