Nannes rubbishes Afridi's wild ball-tampering allegation

Melbourne:

Journeyman pacer Dirk Nannes on Tuesday rubbished Pakistani all-rounder Shahid Afridi's allegation that all teams indulge in ball-tampering and said bowlers can achieve success without twisting laws.

Afridi, banned for two Twenty20 Internationals after biting the ball during Sunday's Australia-Pakistan ODI in Perth, made a startling allegations that ball-tampering was hardly a new thing in cricket since all teams resort to it.

Nannes, the Dutch pacer who is expected to make his Twenty20 debut for Australia in Friday's match against Pakistan, rejected Afridi's sweeping allegation and said it was possible for a bowler to taste success without resorting to such malpractices.

"It's no secret that everyone wants to change the condition of the ball but that's through shining the ball and things like that," Nannes was quoted as saying by the Australian Associated Press (AAP), a news agency here.

"Everyone around the world does that in cricket," said the pacer, who has represented Australia, Netherlands and Indian Premier League team Delhi Daredevils, besides domestic sides Middlesex and Victoria in his chrquered career.

"I'm not really sure what he was referring to with those comments, but I know from a Victorian perspective we don't do that sort of thing and I don't know anyone around the country who actually does it," said the left-arm pacer.