LAHORE: Pakistan batter Fakhar Zaman has been suspended for two matches in the Pakistan Super League (PSL) after being found guilty of a ball-tampering offence, the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) said on Tuesday.
The sanction follows an incident during Sunday’s match between Lahore Qalandars and Karachi Kings at Gaddafi Stadium.
The incident occurred in the final over of the match, with Karachi needing 14 runs to win.
According to match officials, Fakhar was seen in discussion with Lahore captain Shaheen Shah Afridi and fast bowler Haris Rauf, during which Fakhar and Rauf passed the ball between them.
On-field umpires then intervened and asked to inspect the ball.
Following consultations, they awarded five penalty runs to Karachi and ordered the ball to be replaced before the final over.
The decision proved costly for Lahore, as Karachi chased down the 129-run target with three balls to spare.
Abbas Afridi sealed a four-wicket win with a boundary and a six.
PCB charges and disciplinary process
The PCB charged Fakhar with ball-tampering on Monday under its code of conduct.
In a press release issued on Tuesday, the board said Fakhar had committed a Level 3 offence under Article 2.14 of the regulations for players and support personnel.
“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 vs Karachi Kings match on Sunday, March 29 at the Gaddafi Stadium, Lahore,” the PCB said.
“The incident occurred during the closing stages of the match when the on-field umpires penalised Lahore Qalandars five runs and changed the ball before the final over of Karachi Kings’ innings,” the PCB said.
The charge was levelled by on-field umpires Shahid Saikat and Faisal Khan Aafreedi, along with TV umpire Asif Yaqoob and fourth umpire Tariq Rasheed.
Fakhar denied the allegation and contested the charge at a full disciplinary hearing, the PCB said.
Match referee Roshan Mahanama conducted the hearing and reached a decision after reviewing the evidence and hearing the player’s defence.
Lahore captain Shaheen Shah Afridi, team director Sameen Rana and team manager Farooq Anwar were also present during the proceedings.
Fakhar was handed the maximum sanction of a two-match suspension.
