OTD in 2010: Shahid Afridi’s ball-tampering saga during the fifth ODI against Australia in Perth

There are certain occasions when cricketing morals come under question and ball-tampering is one of them. It had happened in the past when players tried to tamper with the ball to gain advantage but there is one incident which pales any other. In 2010, Pakistan toured Australia for a 5-match ODI series which resulted in a 5-0 drubbing for the visitors. In the last ODI, Shahid Afridi did something that stunned everyone as he tried to bite the ball and change its form. 

Afridi with a trick up his sleeve

Pakistan had already lost the first four matches of the series and they were fighting for pride in the last match of the series in Perth. Shahid Afridi called the toss in his favour and opted to bat first. But he might not have expected that his decision would go against him as Pakistan lost three wickets in the powerplay with only 16 runs on the board. The situation got worse before Umar Akmal and Fawad Alam tried to rescue the team from an imminent collapse. Akmal and Alam scored half-centuries and made it possible for Pakistan to somehow post a total of more than 200 runs. 

The Aussies had to chase 213 runs to complete a clean sweep in the series. However, the road was not easy as Pakistan bowlers showed resistance in the second innings. Half of the Australian side was back in the pavilion with only 139 runs on the board. But in a match that was taking the shape of a thriller, Shahid Afridi went on to add a bit more spice. 

At the start of 45th over the umpires inspected the ball and found something awkward. Then the big screens displayed the Pakistan skipper biting the ball in hopes of gaining an undue advantage. The ball was eventually changed and Australia went to complete the run chase to clean sweep the series. Shahid Afridi later admitted to the charge and was banned for two T20 internationals for violating 2.2.9 offence of the Code of Conduct which talks about changing the condition of the ball in a prohibited manner.