Legendary fast bowler Waqar Younis said today it's impossible to legalize ball tampering and wanted uniformity in the rules while punishing the offending players in international cricket.
South Africa's Faf du Plessis escaped with just a fine of 50 per cent of his match fee for ball tampering that put a blot on the Proteas thumping an innings and 92-run victory in the second test against Pakistan on Saturday.
"If you legalize ball tampering ... There will be a lot of swing so I don't see legalizing tampering is possible," Younis said.
Younis was the first player to get a suspension from one ODI for ball tampering during 2000. He took 373 wickets in 87 test matches and another 416 in 262 one-day internationals before retiring in 2003.
He formed Pakistan's lethal pace attack with Wasim Akram in the 90s and was also famous for bowling toe-crushing yorkers.
In the past former bowling greats like Pakistan's Imran Khan and Richard Hadlee from New Zealand had said that ball tampering should be legalized.
But Younis said he couldn't understand how it could be done.
"How can you legalize tampering?" Younis asked. "I think Richard Hadlee, Allan Donald and Imram Khan also said that, but I don't know how it can be done."
Back in Pakistan, several former test cricketers and even the head of the Pakistan Cricket Board Najam Sethi questioned match referee David Boon's soft punishment of du Plessis.
