ISLAMABAD: Islamabad United opener Colin Munro and Multan Sultans captain Mohammad Rizwan have been found guilty of Level 2 breaches of the PSL Code of Conduct and have each been fined 30 per cent of their match fees for Wednesday’s clash between the two sides.
The charges related to “personal abuse of a player, player support personnel, umpire or match referee” followed a heated incident between Munro and Sultans bowler Iftikhar Ahmed.
The confrontation took place during the second innings, when Munro made a gesture towards Iftikhar, insinuating that he was bowling with an illegal action. Visibly upset by the implication, Iftikhar took the matter up with square-leg umpire Chris Brown.
Rizwan, captain of the Sultans, was angered by the accusation and engaged in a tense verbal exchange with Munro.
Going beyond simple aggression
While the PCB’s formal charge against Munro did not specifically cite the gesture questioning Iftikhar’s action, experts understand that match referee Ali Naqvi and the board considered it when determining the penalties.
Both Munro’s and Rizwan’s actions were deemed to go beyond simple aggression—which would typically warrant a Level 1 offence—and amounted to personal abuse, thus attracting more serious charges and corresponding sanctions.
It is worth noting that Iftikhar’s bowling action was not reported by any match official, and he has never had his action questioned before. Nonetheless, this is not the first time a Pakistan bowler has faced accusations from opposing batters over illegal actions.
Marcus Stoinis previously accused Mohammad Hasnain of “chucking” during a Hundred match, not long after Hasnain had returned from a suspension and had his action cleared.
Hafeez’s action
In 2018, New Zealand batter Ross Taylor appeared to suggest to the umpire that Mohammad Hafeez—who had already faced multiple suspensions for a suspect action—was bowling with a bent arm. Then Pakistan captain Sarfaraz Ahmed branded Taylor’s conduct as “disgraceful”.
Despite the drama, Islamabad United went on to win the match by seven wickets, with Munro contributing 45 runs off 28 deliveries before being caught by Iftikhar off the bowling of Michael Bracewell.
Elsewhere, Karachi Kings’ Aamer Jamal was fined 5 per cent of his match fee for a Level 1 offence, after giving Peshawar Zalmi batter Hussain Talat a send-off upon dismissing him.
Munro, Rizwan, and Jamal all accepted the charges and pleaded guilty.
