Object number
M.06.44
Title
White Ball presented to Shoaib Akhtar, England vs. Pakistan, Lord's 2006
Date
2006 - 2006
Creator
Material
Size
circumference: 23 cm
Description
White cricket ball. Raised seam with double line of pale green stitching on either side. Signed by Shoaib Akhtar. With this ball he took 4 for 28, England v Pakistan, ODI, Lord's, 2006.
Display caption
ODI ball, 2006
Signed by Shoaib Akhtar.
With this ball he took 4 for 28 during the England vs. Pakistan One-Day International at Lord's in September 2006. The match took place in the wake of huge controversy as the Oval Test was awarded to England when Pakistan refused to take to the field after being penalised for ‘ball-tampering’. Three days after his match-winning spell at Lord’s, Shoaib Akhtar was shown on television ‘working’ on the ball in the third one-day international at Southampton. Commentator Michael Atherton, himself no stranger to allegations of ball-tampering, suggested viewers ‘make up their own minds’. Even after the theory behind reverse swing became public knowledge, its use in practice has often been shrouded in suspicion and mistrust.
MCC Collection: donated by Shoaib Akhtar, 2006
M.06.44
Association
Exhibitions
Object name
Object Category
