Fakhar Zaman, the star batter of the Lahore Qalandars, has been suspended for ball-tampering during Sunday’s PSL match against Karachi Kings, the Pakistan Cricket Board announced on Tuesday. The board said Fakhar, the left-handed opener, broke Article 2.14 of the Code of Conduct, which counts as a Level 3 offense. Now, he is banned for two PSL games because of it.
The incident happened right at the end of the match on March 29 at Gaddafi Stadium. Umpires handed the Qalandars a five-run penalty and made them change the ball before Karachi Kings played their final over. This left Karachi Kings needing nine runs in the final over, which they successfully chased down. Abbas Afridi secured the win by smacking Haris Rauf for a four and a six after the bowler had delivered a wide.
The umpires took this stern step as during the last over of the match as Fakhar Zaman, team captain Shaheen Shah Afridi, and Haris Rauf was caught on camera. Fakhar and Rauf tossed the ball back and forth, while Fakhar was seen tampering the ball. As the umpire checked the issue, the trouble started for the Lahore Qalandars.
In a media release on Tuesday, PSL said, “Fakhar Zaman has been suspended for two HBL PSL matches after he was found guilty of a Level 3 offence for breaching Article 2.14 of the applicable Code of Conduct for Players and Player Support Personnel during the Lahore Qalandars v Karachi Kings match on Sunday.”
Roshan Mahanama led the disciplinary hearing, looked over all the evidence, and gave Fakhar a chance to share his side of the story on personal note. Shaheen Shah Afridi, the captain of Lahore Qalandars, along with Team Director Sameen Rana and Team Manager Farooq Anwar, were there by Fakhar’s side during the hearing as well.
Now, due to this ban, Fakhar Zaman won’t play for his side in the matches against Multan Sultans on April 3 in Lahore and against Islamabad United on April 9 in Karachi. There is no doubt, that is a huge loss for the Lahore-based side.
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