Faf, I'm no cheat! Greetings from Sharjah, after what has been a really difficult week. My biggest regret is that this whole ball-tampering saga overshadowed what was an awesome test victory for us. It started with Immie picking up five on his return to test cricket, which showed real character in the most pressured of situations. It then continued with Graeme’s world-class double hundred and AB’s century, and as one of the guys next in, I was able to take in every ball of that incredible partnership. On top of that, the win ensured that we continued our unbeaten stretch in away test series, which extends back to 2006. It was also Pakistan’s first test defeat in Dubai, and let’s not forget that they gave England a 3-0 whack when they contested a test series in the UAE not so long ago. A lot has been said and written about the incident that led to me being fined 50% of my test match fee, and I’d like to present my side of the story – some of which has already been reported. A respected cricket coach I know said it was a bit like a couple of guys going out for a team dinner, all of them having a couple of glasses of wine, and then one guy ending up driving and being stopped by the cops and put in jail. That isn’t an excuse for my actions, but just an analogy, which I will explain further. For starters, here is how things unfolded, for me. Firstly, we all know in cricket that there is a ball to be worked on and kept shiny. In the UAE, the added element is that it’s incredibly hot and part of the challenge is keeping the ball dry from the sweat of the bowlers. So, in a team you have designated ball ‘shiners’ and ball ‘workers’, and I’m one of them. It’s usually the guys who don’t bowl or who don’t sweat as much as the others. There are ways of ‘working’ the ball as much as possible within the rules, such as bouncing the ball on the wicket, trying to bowl cross-seam, and basically trying to scuff the ball as much as possible, naturally, so that it’s easier for the bowlers to grip. So, I was trying to keep the ball as dry as possible. As the footage showed, I was on the rough side of the ball, and I’ll be the first to admit that I was working it far too close to my zip. That’s obviously what the third umpire saw on TV. But, when the onfield umpires inspected the ball, there wasn’t a scratch mark or anything untoward on the ball. In fact, it was in excellent shape and wasn’t reverse-swinging at all. Basically, the condition of the ball hadn’t been changed, and that’s why I think my penalty was not as harsh as the sentences given out for other similar incidents. All of that being said, I learnt a very valuable lesson, in terms of the kind of person I am and the values that I have. That’s been the hardest thing for me. I pride myself on being a morally good person, and that’s why this past week has been so difficult, as people have been quick to label me a cheat. That’s not the kind of person I am and it’s not the kind of person I want to be associated with. Now, when someone throws me the ball, I’m afraid to even look at it, and rather just catch it and get rid of it! The lesson for me is that when you are in a ‘grey’ area, to always make sure you are morally on the right side of things, so there’s absolutely no confusion or misunderstanding. This hasn’t been an enjoyable week and it’s affected me a lot, as it’s not a nice thing to go through. The support of my teammates has been incredible, because they understand how these things work. It also showed me how close we are as a team, as there was absolutely nothing negative in any of our discussions about the incident. Next week I’ll report back on the one-day series as a whole. This is my focus now and I’ve got to put the incident behind me. Graeme has been really awesome with advice, saying how he’s been through some tough times as captain, but that you’ve just got to find a way to deal with things, because that’s what makes you stronger as a person and cricketer.
