Lahore, March 30: Pakistan’s prolific batter Fakhar Zaman, pacer Shaheen Shah Afridi and Zimbabwe’s Sikandar Raza have denied ball-tampering charges, stemming from the Pakistan Super League match between Lahore Qalandars and Karachi Kings at the Gaddafi Stadium.
The 35-year-old Zaman was charged on Sunday night by match referee Roshan Mahanama with a Level 3 offence under Article 2.14 of the PSL Code of Conduct for Players and Player Support Personnel.
Zaman was found to have violated Article 41.3 of the PSL playing conditions, which prohibits any action that alters the condition of the ball.
Appearing before the former Sri Lankan cricketer, Zaman denied the charges against him.
The charge relates to an incident just before the final over of the Karachi Kings’ innings, when they needed 14 runs to win.
Zaman was seen in discussion with Haris Rauf and Qalandars’ captain Afridi before the over.
Shortly thereafter, umpire Faisal Afridi requested the ball and, after inspecting it with his colleague, determined that its condition had been altered.
The match referee is expected to hold another hearing within the next 48 hours before delivering a verdict.
The umpires penalised Qalandars five runs for altering the condition of the ball and subsequently replaced it. This left Karachi Kings needing nine runs in the final over, which they successfully chased down.
All-rounder Abbas Afridi sealed the victory by hitting Rauf for a four and a six after the bowler had delivered a wide.
If the match referee confirms that the ball was tampered with, Zaman – and potentially the Lahore Qalandars as a team – could face serious penalties.
Afridi insisted on Monday that he didn’t know anything about the condition of the ball being changed. “I don’t know if the condition of the ball changed. But it was disappointing to see the umpires decision,” he said.
He will also appear before match referee Mahanama for a disciplinary hearing in Lahore.
Similarly, Raza, who is already facing action for breaching the security protocols of the PSL at the team hotel on Saturday by bringing relatives to his room, also denied having any knowledge of the ball being tampered with.
“I don’t know if the ball was tampered with or who did it. I am not aware of it,” he said at a post match conference.
A reliable PCB source said the senior officials have taken the ball tampering incident and the breach of security protocols at the team hotel seriously and have made it clear to the Qalandars’ management they will have to face the consequences under the applicable code of conduct rules and regulations.
“Chairman Mohsin Naqvi is not happy in particular about the hotel incident since the PCB is taking great care to ensure the event is held without an incident and has even disallowed spectators for the league matches at the Gaddafi stadium for the time being,” the source said.
Though the official reason given for not allowing spectators is to support the government’s austerity and resources saving policies but indications are it also has to do with ensuring top security for the players and officials in the PSL.
“The board is unhappy about the PSL gaining traction for the wrong reasons starting with the incident of the ball colour turning to pink during the first match of the league between Hyderabad Kingsmen and Lahore when the poor quality kits of the former team apparently shed colour which discoloured the ball forcing the umpires to change it midway in the match.”
Afridi, Raza accused of breaching security protocols in hotel
Pakistan Super League side Lahore Qalandars skipper Afridi and overseas player Raza have found themselves at the centre of an embarrassing situation after being accused of breaching team security protocols at their hotel.
Muhammad Faisal, DIG (Operations, Lahore), has notified the PSL CEO of a serious violation of the security measures in place for the eight teams staying at a five-star hotel in the city.
According to the police official, despite prior warnings and refusal, Shaheen and Sikandar were found hosting four guests in Raza’s room on the eighth floor until 1:25 am.
The liaison officer of Lahore Qalandars, followed by team owner Sameen Rana, had sought permission to allow guests into Raza’s room at around 10:35 pm and again at 11:00 pm. on Saturday, but both requests were denied.
According to the police official, the liaison officer initially approached the PCB’s manager for security and the anti-corruption unit, requesting permission for four of Raza’s relatives to visit his room. The request was declined in accordance with the security protocols.
Subsequently, the team owner approached PSL CEO Salman Naseer with the same request, which was again refused on security grounds.
Despite the refusal, at around 11:05 pm., PCB and security personnel reported that Shaheen and Raza disregarded the protocols and escorted the four guests into Raza’s room, despite resistance from on-site security staff. The guests remained there until 1:25 a.m.
The senior police official has informed the PCB that this is a violation of the board’s security protocols and code of conduct, which are designed to ensure the safety and integrity of all players, officials and associated personnel. (PTI)
