Former Pakistan pacer Shoaib Akhtar came out with a strong statement against the pitch-tampering allegations that surfaced before the start of the 2nd ODI between India and New Zealand in Pune. The fiery fast bowler tweeted to say that he was "shocked and speechless" to hear about the scandal and asked that it be dealt with an "iron fist". However, Indian fans on Twitter asked Akhtar to "keep calm" and worry about Pakistan's cricketing affairs. Pandurang Salgaoncar, the pitch manager at the Pune ground, was allegedly exposed during an undercover sting by India Today that claimed he doctored the surface ahead of Wednesday's match.
ICC officials cleared the match to start on schedule after India's cricket board banned Salgaoncar from the Maharashtra Cricket Association (MCA) ground. India went on to beat New Zealand by six wickets to level the three-match ODI series 1-1.
While Pakistani fans were in agreement with Akhtar, Indian fans decided to strike back.
The Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) banned Salgaoncar soon after he was seen promising a favourable track to reporters who posed as bookies.
Salgaoncar also showed the men around the Pune surface the day before the ODI, breaching the ICC rules governing access to the pitch.
The 68-year-old was a fast bowler from Maharashtra state in the 1970s before taking up the role of curator with the state association. He played a total of 63 first-class games.
Earlier this year as well, Salgaoncar was in dock when ICC match referee rated Pune's pitch as poor after the end of the first Test between India and Australia.
The match had ended on the third day with the visiting team defeating India by a margin of 333 runs.