Ball tempering incidents in cricket history

Chris Pringle, New Zealand Chris Pringle, who was a medium pacer, got away from punishment despite admitting his misdeeds. In the third test in Faisalabad in 1990, he grabbed a career-high 11 wickets for 152 runs on a track that was conducive to batting. Later he admitted that he used a bottle top to scratch the ball.

Michael Atherton, England The 'dirt in the pocket' incident took place in 1994, the England captain was seen using dirt that he had taken off the pitch and placed in his pocket and later, he used it the ball. Peter Burge, the ICC match referee, did not fine or reprimand Atherton, however, the England Cricket Board (ECB) took the tougher action.

Waqar Younis, Pakistan In 2000, Pakistan fast bowler Waqar Younis became the first cricketer to be punished and suspended for the offence eight years after being accused of ball tampering for the first time by the British media during a series against England. He tempered the ball in a limited-overs international against South Africa in Sri Lanka.

Sachin Tendulkar, India Match referee Mike Denness penalised five Indian players for excessive appeals and punished Tendulkar for ball tampering during the second test against South Africa at Port Elizabeth in 2001. TV cameras captured Tendulkar wiping the seam of the ball, but because he hadn't told the umpires, it was against the rules to change the ball's condition.

Shoaib Akhtar, Pakistan Shoaib Akhtar, a fiery fast bowler, was penalised with a two-game one-day international suspension for scratching the ball during a match against New Zealand in Sri Lanka in 2003. Later in his book "Controversially Yours," Akhtar acknowledged that he "began fussing with the ball" out of desperation.

Rahul Dravid, India Rahul Dravid, known as "The Wall" was seen on camera putting lozenge on the ball during a match against as Zimbabwe in Australia in 2004. He was found guilty and fined 50% of his match fee.

Stuart Broad, England The England fast bowler tempered the ball with his boot's spikes during a test match against South Africa in Cape Town in 2010. In spite of the South Africans' protests, the England player wasn't fined.

Shahid Afridi, Pakistan In 2010, Shahid Afridi was banned for two matches after he tempered the ball twice during a match against Australia in Perth. After the game, match referee Ranjan Madugalle summoned Afridi, who pled guilty and issued an apology, and expressed regret for the event.

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