Cricket history ka ek aisa kala panna jise Cricket Australia ne dabane ki koshish ki thi, ab wo poori tarah se khul chuka hai. Hum sab ne socha tha ki Sandpapergate sirf Cape Town tak limited tha, lekin Usman Khawaja ne apni autobiography Sabr mein jo khulase kiye hain, wo hila dene wale hain. Australia ki wo team jo khud ko ethics ka baap batati hai, wo kaise cheating karke matches jeet rahi thi, iska kacha chittha ab bazaar mein hai.
The Guru Story
Usman Khawaja ne detail mein bataya hai ki South Africa ke khilaaf Port Elizabeth Test mein kya hua tha. Session shuru hone se pehle hi Cameron Bancroft ne ball ke saath wo kiya jo koi gentleman nahi karta. Khawaja ke mutabik, Bancroft ne ball uthayi aur use sandpaper se aisa ragda ki ball "treat" ban gayi. Shiny side chamak rahi thi aur reverse side itni khurduri ho chuki thi ki ball hawa mein saanp ki tarah lahra rahi thi.
Khawaja ne bataya ki ball itni zyada move ho rahi thi ki gully mein khade hokar unhe laga ki wo khud bhi isse reverse swing kara sakte hain. Sabse bada jhoot toh yahan pakda gaya ki Australian Bowlers ko sab pata tha. Khawaja ne likha hai ki ek wicket ke baad huddle mein ek bowler ne kaha: "Guys, it's going heaps now. Just don't do anything else to it, because it's silly how much it's going." Ye sunkar baaki sab hass rahe the. Ye wahi bowlers hain jo baad mein TV par aakar masoom ban gaye aur saari zimmedari sirf teen khiladiyon par daal di.
Itna hi nahi, Khawaja ne Ashes 2017-18 ka bhi zikr kiya hai. Wahan bhi in logo ne jugad lagaya tha. Pink ball ke flaps ko utha kar use rudder ki tarah istemal kiya ja raha tha taaki ball reverse swing ho sake. Khawaja ka point clear hai: Poori team isme shamil thi, magar bali ka bakra sirf teen ko banaya gaya.
Analysis & Numbers
- Port Elizabeth Test mein South Africa ne sirf 28 runs ke andar 4 wickets kho diye the jab ball unnaturally reverse hone lagi thi.
- Usman Khawaja ne bataya ki South Africa ko 25 overs mein reverse mil rahi thi, jabki Aussies ko 40-50 overs tak nahi milti thi, isliye unhone shortcuts liye.
- Cricket Australia ki investigation ne sirf Steve Smith, David Warner aur Cameron Bancroft ko guilty maana tha, jo ab ek bada mazaak lag raha hai.
- AB de Villiers ne uss match mein 126* banaye the, jo Khawaja ke mutabik ek "epic" inning thi kyunki Aussies cheating karke ball ko "around corners" move kara rahe the.
The Guru Gyan Verdict:
Australia ka 'Elite Honesty' wala naara hamesha se ek farce tha. Khawaja ne jo sach bola hai usse ek baat saaf hai: Australian bowlers ne apna career bachane ke liye apne hi sathiyon ko bus ke neeche phenk diya. Ye dekh kar Pakistan ke bowlers ko thodi rahat milegi, kyunki wahan toh ball bina sandpaper ke bhi reverse nahi hoti aur yahan Aussies ne poora hardware store hi ball par chala diya tha. Agar India ke khilaaf ye kiya hota toh hamare batters ne unka sandpaper unhi ke upar istemal kar dena tha. Bottom line is: Australia cheated, and they cheated consistently.
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