Ganguly, Warne say not aware of ball tampering

Kolkata Knight Riders bowling coach Wasim Akram might have dropped a bombshell by claiming that bowlers in IPL III have been tampering with the ball but KKR captain Sourav Ganguly said he was not aware of any such malpractice.

Akram said that bowlers rubbed red soil on the ball at places like Jaipur, Mumbai and Ahmedabad, making it difficult for batsmen to sight it at the later stages of a match under floodlights.

Asked about Akram's claim, Ganguly said he was not aware of such ball tampering.

"No idea about it. I am hearing it for the first time," said Ganguly.

Rajasthan Royals captain Shane Warne gave a sarcastic reply when asked about the claim by the former Pakistan captain.

"Maybe he (Akram) is an expert, I am not. I have got no idea about it. We go out and play. I don't agree with it. Maybe I should ask Wasim if he can help me out," said Warne.

"I don't know. It's first I am hearing about ball tampering. I think Wasim has heard about it a little bit more," he added.