“They would scratch it from one side,” Praveen Kumar’s outrageous 'ball-tampering' claim on Pakistan pacers for reverse swing

Praveen claimed that ball-tampering was a common practice employed to generate reverse swing.

Fast bowlers often use reverse swing as a great weapon to dismiss batters. Historically, Pakistani pacers mastered the art of reverse swing, with legends like Imran Khan, Wasim Akram and Waqar Younis being the best exponents of it.

With the introduction of two new balls from either end, the art has faded a bit in the limited-overs formats lately.

However, former India seamer Praveen Kumar recently made a rather outrageous claim on the art of reverse swing, specifically in the context of ex-Pakistan quicks.

While Praveen refrained from taking anyone’s name, he stated that ball-tampering was a common practice employed to generate reverse swing, and this knowledge was widespread within cricketing circles.

“Everyone does a little bit. Pakistan bowlers do it a bit more. That is what I have heard. Now, there are cameras everywhere. Earlier, all used to do it. And everyone knows as well. They would scratch it from one side, but one must know how to use that skill, too. If I scratch the ball and give to someone, one must have the skills to reverse-swing it. One has to learn that,” said Praveen while speaking to The Lallantop.

Former Pakistan pacer Sarfaraz Nawaz is considered as the pioneer of reverse swing. Imran Khan then mastered this art before the trio of Wasim, Waqar and Shoaib Akhtar carried the legacy to torment the opponents.