Pakistan international Fakhar Zaman has been banned for two matches after being found guilty of ball tampering during the country’s showpiece T20 league, cricket bosses said on Tuesday.
The 35-year-old opener was seen on video footage altering the condition of the ball during his team Lahore Qalandars’ match against Karachi Kings in Lahore on Sunday night.
“Zaman has been suspended for two Pakistan Super League (PSL) matches after he was found guilty of a Level 3 offence for tampering the ball,” the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) said in a statement.
The PCB charged Zaman, who denied ball tampering, at a disciplinary hearing with match referee Roshan Mahanama of Sri Lanka.
Mahanama viewed television footage which showed Qalandars’ players Zaman, skipper Shaheen Shah Afridi and Haris Rauf, and umpire Faisal Afridi inspecting the condition of the ball.
The umpire awarded five penalty runs against Qalandars, who lost the match by four wickets.
Earlier, fast bowler Naseem Shah was slapped with the biggest fine in Pakistan cricket history after criticising a politician on social media.
Shah’s whopping $71,500 punishment is the latest incident to rock the PSL during a turbulent opening week.
Fellow fast bowler Shaheen was also fined $3,500 for breaking the tournament’s tight security protocols.
The PSL is taking place behind closed doors without fans — and only at two venues instead of six — because of fuel supply concerns caused by the Iran war.
Naseem, who plays for Rawalpindiz, aimed a barb at Punjab Chief Minister Maryam Nawaz, who was the guest of honour at a slimmed-down PSL opening ceremony before last Thursday’s match between Qalandars and Hyderabad Kingsmen.
In a post on X, swiftly deleted after being widely shared, Naseem mocked Nawaz’s arrival, saying: “Why is she treated like the Queen at Lord’s?”
He later claimed his account had been hacked, but the PCB did not agree and ordered him to appear before a three-man disciplinary committee.
Naseem apologised before the committee imposed the record fine.
Afridi was fined by the Qalandars for breaching security protocols at his team hotel in Lahore, one of two host cities along with Karachi for this year’s tournament.
Punjab Police said Afridi was refused permission to take visitors to teammate Sikander Raza’s room but did so anyway.
Source: Khaleej Times