Former Pakistan players advocate ban on Virat Kohli

English tabloid Dailymail yesterday accused Kohli of ball tampering on the basis of a video of him shining the ball. While it appears that the ICC has not taken the issue seriously, Pakistan certainly has.

Former Pakistani leggie, Abdul Qadir told a local news channel that Kohli should be banned and fined for the incident in the ongoing Test series against England.

“He should also be fined. When it comes to banning a Pakistani player on bowling action or else than the ICC steps in promptly and puts a ban. But in the case of an Indian player, it backs out,” Qadir said.

Abdul Qadir, who picked up 236 wickets in the 67 Tests he played, wasn't the only person from across the border to share this sentiment. Haroon Rasheed, who is the chief selector of the National team, agreed with Qadir and said that Kohli would escape punishment because the umpires had missed the incident in the match.

“According to the ICC rules action against a player is only taken if he is reported by the referee or field umpire,” he remarked.

Former PCB Chairman Khalid Mahmood added to the discussion stating, “We don’t see the application of same rule for India. The ICC always treats India differently. Such an attitude is harmful to the game of cricket."

Ironically, it was former Pakistan captain Waqar Younis who holds the unwanted record of being the first player to be banned for ball tampering way back in 2000.