An enraged Wasim Akram has vehemently criticized the claims made by Sikandar Bakht, who has accused Rohit Sharma of engaging in toss-fixing following India's semi-final victory over New Zealand.
Bakht, a former Pakistani cricketer, has raised eyebrows with his allegations against the Indian cricket team captain, Rohit Sharma. According to Bakht, during the 2023 ICC Cricket World Cup, Sharma displayed suspicious behavior by intentionally throwing the coin far away from the opposing captain during the toss. Bakht suggests that this action prevents the opposing captain from verifying the result of the toss, insinuating that it could be a deliberate tactic to influence the outcome in India's favor.
Bakht's claims surfaced following India's triumph over New Zealand in the Mumbai semifinal. India won the toss on a batting-friendly pitch and went on to score an impressive 397/4, ultimately securing a 70-run victory. The former Pakistani fast bowler, now 66 years old with a remarkable record of 100 wickets in just over 50 international appearances, voiced his conspiracy theory during a news channel show. He hinted at a potential collusion between Sharma's coin toss technique and the International Cricket Council (ICC) and the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI), suggesting that it could influence decisions in favor of the Indian team.
In response, Akram vehemently dismissed Bhakt's claims during an interview with A Sports. The legendary pacer emphasized that there are no specific rules regarding where the coin should land and clarified that the mat is merely present for sponsorship purposes. Akram also expressed his embarrassment over such unfounded allegations coming to light.
The 57-year-old said, “Who says ki coin ne kaha land karna hai? Ye kisne kaha hai ki usne waha par coin fenkna hai? Vo toh sponsorship ke liye hai, dikhane ke liye hai. Kahi bhi chala jaye. I feel embarrassed (Who decides where the coin should land? It is just for sponsorship! I feel embarrassed)."
Earlier, Bakht had said, “Can I give you a conspiracy theory? At the time of the toss, Rohit Sharma throws the coin far from the range of any opposition captain, Thus, the opposition captain cannot go and cross-check the call.”
This is not the first instance where a former Pakistani cricketer has levied allegations against the Indian team. Hasan Raza, for instance, accused the ICC of supplying Indian bowlers with specially crafted balls that possess enhanced swing capabilities.
