During the fourth day of the second Test at Lords Cricket Ground, fans shared some images where an England fielder was seen trapping the ball with his boot. The incident took place during the 35th over of India’s second innings at Lord’s.
Butt reacted to the whole episode, saying if the English cricketers did it intentionally, it becomes a matter of concern. Butt reckoned that a bowler could gain a lot of advantage if the ball gets tampered that way.
“Two England players had placed the ball under spikes during the Test match. If this is intentional, it is a matter of concern. Even if it is not intentional, it must still be addressed. You cannot do this. It is possible to tamper the ball in this way. The bowler can get a lot of advantage if the ball is well maintained. The referee must look into this,” said Butt on his YouTube channel.
The 36-year-old further mentioned that England players aren’t kids that they were not aware of the happenings. Butt said that cameras keep a close view of Asian players, and a similar thing should take place in this case as well.
“Are they kids that they do not know? Is this a school match to say that they did it by chance? Twenty-one cameras keep a watch on Asian bowlers — Pakistanis and others — checking whether they are doing anything with the ball. In this case, we have a clearly visible picture of spikes on the ball. There needs to be some talk on it. I hope it happens,” added Butt.
Former India opener Virender Sehwag had also raised questions on the incident, saying: “Is it ball-tampering by England or Covid preventive measures.”
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