Pakistan's Haris Rauf Accused of Ball Tampering in T20 World Cup Opener

Pakistan's T20 World Cup campaign has hit a major roadblock after star pacer Haris Rauf was accused of ball tampering during their humiliating defeat against the United States. The allegation, made by former South African pacer Rusty Theron, has cast a dark shadow over Pakistan's hopes of salvaging their tournament.

Theron, who is now a member of the USA national cricket team, took to social media to tag the International Cricket Council (ICC) and accuse Rauf of scratching the ball with his nails. He claimed that Rauf was attempting to reverse the ball and gain an unfair advantage over the American batters.

"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," Theron wrote on X (formerly Twitter).

The accusation has not yet been officially lodged by the USA team, but it remains a serious allegation. If proven true, it could result in severe sanctions for Rauf and the Pakistan team.

Pakistan's performance against the USA was dismal, with Rauf conceding 37 runs in four overs and taking only one wicket. Captain Babar Azam criticized his bowlers for failing to deliver, despite defending a mediocre total of 159.

"We are better than that in bowling, we were not able to take wickets in the first six overs. In the middle overs, your spinner is not taking wickets then pressure is on us. After 10 overs, we did come back but I think the way they finished game in the Super Over, the credit goes to the US team," Babar said in the post-match press conference.

Pakistan's next match is against arch-rivals India, a crucial encounter that could determine their fate in the tournament. However, the ball-tampering allegation has cast a pall over their preparations and raised questions about the integrity of the team.

Tags: #T20WorldCup, #BallTampering, #HarisRauf, #PakistanCricket, #USACricket