'We mastered reverse swing'

Former captain Wasim Akram claims the art of reverse swing, which is practised by Pakistan's fast bowlers, is being mistaken for ball-tampering. Akram, one of the most feared seam bowlers "We are accused of ball tampering because we have mastered the art of reverse swing.
"No body knew for 15 long years what we were actually doing. They taught it was ball-tampering. But in fact it is reverse swing."
Nobody can be more qualified than Akram, often referred to as the "Sultan of Swing" to elaborate on the art form.
Akram, who is in Dubai as a guest of the HSBC cricket challenge pointed a finger at England and said: "Last year when England bowlers won the Ashes through reverse swing, no one from the British media said they had tampered with the ball.
"They said they were bowling reverse swing and they know the art. Before making such a claim they should have asked themselves from whom did they learn this art. It is from the Pakistanis."
Akram went on to explain what really constitutes ball tampering.
"Ball tampering is done in different ways in different countries. In England when I was playing county cricket, they said ball tampering was when one scratched the ball. Later in England and Australia bowlers resorted to applying Vaseline and mint on to the ball. All these were nothing but tampering of the ball."
Akram even went on to candidly admit that at times he has lifted the seam of the ball. "Ball tampering is not something that can be done quickly and make the ball swing immediately. First of all one can tamper the ball only after it is nearly 50 overs old."