Shoaib caught tampering with ball

Pakistan’s beleaguered cricket team was hit by yet another allegation on their ill-fated England tour, this time a UK newspaper publishing photographs to claim that fast bowler Shoaib Akhtar had tampered with the ball in the fifth and final one-dayer against England on Wednesday.

The Daily Mail published photographs of Akhtar allegedly “running his left thumb along the ball’s seam before dropping the ball on the ground and standing on it with his spiked right boot” in the 41st over of England’s inning before bowling to Paul Collingwood.

There was no reaction to the claim made by the newspaper by the England and Wales Cricket Board on Thursday.

The end of the Pakistan tour of England has put the focus back on the outcome of the Scotland Yard investigation into illegal spot-fixing during the Lord’s Test match between Pakistan and England last month. Pakistan Test captain Salman Butt, fast bowlers Mohammad Asif and Mohammad Aamer and bowler Wahab Riaz have been questioned by the Met police.

The International Cricket Council has already suspended Salman Butt and fast bowlers Mohammad Asif and Mohammad Aamer pending an inquiry.

The relationship between the two cricket teams deteriorated sharply since the first round of spot-fixing allegations surfaced.

The lowest point came when England batsman Jonathan Trott and Pakistan bowler Wahab Riaz were involved in an altercation at nets before start of the fourth one-day international at Lord’s on Monday afternoon.