Hastings Faces Scrutiny After Bowling 18-Ball Over Against Pakistan Champions

KARACHI: Former Australian bowler John Hastings has revealed that his performance during a World Championship of Legends (WCL) 2025 match against Pakistan Champions led to questions about his conduct.

During the league-stage match, Australia Champions struggled, scoring only 74 runs before being bowled out in 11.5 overs. Saeed Ajmal took six wickets.

Pakistan Champions chased the target of 75 runs with ease, securing victory without losing any wickets and with 73 balls remaining.

Their chase was aided by a strange over from John Hastings, who bowled 12 wides and one no-ball, resulting in 20 runs being scored off just five legitimate deliveries.

Hastings’ inability to find his accuracy was evident as he bowled five consecutive wides on two occasions.

Two weeks after the game, Hastings mentioned that he was approached by the anti-corruption unit, who inquired about a particular wide delivery where he missed the pitch.

Hastings also said he was inundated with messages from the cricket community on social media following the incident.

“The anti-corruption officials approached me, mentioning the trouble I had caused the previous night. They said they needed to examine the over. They highlighted that I missed the pitch on one delivery. I questioned whether they suspected me of match-fixing,” Hastings stated on a podcast.

“He said ‘No, but we don’t know where you’ve been or what you’ve been doing for the last seven years’. I said, ‘I’m not corrupt’. The Pakistan game, it’s hard to explain. I received numerous messages from the cricketing world, and I also deactivated social media for three days after the game against Pakistan to avoid dealing with the situation.”

“It’s not a laughing matter, but it’s hard to explain what happens when you’re bowling. It was tough, embarrassing, and awful. However, I am back on social media. To the 1.5 million people who messaged me on Instagram, I will respond as soon as possible.”