An “embarrassed” Afridi admits to ball tampering

By Rahul Bajaj
for Cricketain.com

Published: February 1, 2010

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Karachi: Pakistan all-rounder Shahid Afridi has admitted to ball tampering during the fifth and final one-dayer against Australia at Perth saying that he made the mistake because he was “frustrated” with his team’s performance.

“I am embarrassed — I have made a mistake,” Afridi told Pakistan’s Geo TV after the International Cricket Council (ICC) banned him for two Twenty20 internationals for tampering with the ball during the fifth and final ODI against Australia in Perth. “I was frustrated because the Pakistan team hasn’t won any match for quite some time.”

“I am not a fast bowler who would tamper the ball. I was just trying to help the bowler. There is no team in the world that doesn’t tamper with the ball but my approach was wrong,” said Afridi.

Afridi said that Pakistan was a “very talented” team and had “potential match winners” and he shouldn’t have embarrassed them and himself by his action. “I shouldn’t have done this. I have been punished for my fault. I should learn a lesson out of this incident,” he said.

ICC Match referee Ranjan Madugalle banned Afridi after holding a hearing on the complaint by on-field umpires.

Afridi, who led Pakistan in the final ODI in place of the unfit Mohammad Yousuf, was caught on camera chewing on one side of the ball while walking to the run up with bowler Mohammad Asif.

This is not the first time that the flamboyant all-rounder has got himself in trouble. In 2005, Afridi was banned for twisting his spikes and trying to change the condition of the pitch during a Test match in Faisalabad against England.

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