Former Pakistani pacer Shabbir Ahmed made a stunning claim about the Team India fast bowlers using vaseline to gain advantage over England on Day 5 of the fifth Test against India at the Oval. As a result, it's interesting to know what can vaseline do to a ball after Ahmed's accusations drew flak from fans.
In a video shared by Brad Hogg on his official social media when the COVID-19 pandemic had first appeared. With saliva ban imposed then in professional cricket, the former Australian cricketer stated that he had used sunscreen, saliva and vaseline to see which one did the job the best. Speaking about vaseline's impact, he claimed:
"Vaseline did a reasonable job, but it was a little bit darker than the other two but it's also a little bit slippery than the other methods. So, that's not going to be good for the bowlers. There are a lot of other products the bowlers can use but the sunscreen is the best one bowlers can use, so they will still be able to get some movement."
What did Shabbir Ahmed say?
After Team India had staged a stunning comeback to claim a series draw at The Oval on Day 5, Ahmed claimed that the umpire should send the ball used for examination, reasoning that it was swinging extravagantly even after 80 overs.
Notably, during the 1977 series between India and England, ex-English bowler John Lever was accused of using vaseline during the third Test of the rubber in Chennai. The Indian captain Bishan Singh Bedi had used vaseline on the ball to make it swing better. According to The Guardian, the home crowd and media had put a massive banner that stated, "Cheater Lever Go Home, Tony Greig Down Down."
Hasan Raza had accused Mohammed Shami of using altered balls during the 2023 World Cup
Notably, it is also not the first time that a Pakistani cricketer had accused their Indian counterpart of similar allegations. With right-arm seamer Mohammed Shami bowling some fantastic spells during the 2023 World Cup, ex-Pakistan cricketer Hasan Raza had accused the BCCI of supplying Team India suspicious balls.
Shami didn't take to it kindly and urged them to focus on their cricket instead.
