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ADELAIDE: Pace-bowling legend Wasim Akram is exasperated with the way British press has been harping about the bowling action of Pakistan’s off-spinner Saeed Ajmal and termed as “stale” the pressure tactics of their media.
“Instead of praising him [Saeed Ajmal] and admitting their team was outplayed by Pakistan, they are going after the gifted bowler,” said Wasim on Tuesday. “It’s not funny anymore, it’s boring, stale and old.”
Former England players raised a question about Saeed’s bowling action after the stunning defeat and the British media hasn’t stopped carping on it since then.
“Whenever they lose, they talk negative. It’s the English batsmen who played bad shots, sweeping across the line to off-spinner. It’s no rocket science that you can’t play across the line. But probably they don’t know. It’s the job of umpires and ICC — not British media,” said Wasim.
“He [Saeed] has been around for 7-8 years. Why suddenly pick on him?” said an agitated Wasim. “I have been reading for the last 3-4 days in British media. We all know what goes through media usually goes through players.
“England has a habit of picking holes through opposition whenever their team doesn’t do well. The noise now is because it has happened against the mighty England, the number one Test team of the world. On the tour of 1992, we got them out in every game. Then they accused us of ball-tampering. Then I got a seven in the very next game. We then played county cricket and taught every bowler for 10 years how to reverse swing the ball,” he said.—Agencies
