Fakhar Zaman charged with ball-tampering in PSL clash

LAHORE: Lahore Qalandars batter Fakhar Zaman has been charged with ball-tampering during Sunday’s Pakistan Super League (PSL) match against Karachi Kings, the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) said in a statement on Monday.

The incident occurred during the second innings of the match.

According to the PCB, Fakhar Zaman has been charged with a Level 3 offence under Article 2.14 of the Code of Conduct for Players and Player Support Personnel, for violating Article 41.3 of the HBL PSL 11 playing conditions, which prohibits any action that alters the condition of the ball.

However, Fakhar denied the charge during a disciplinary hearing led by Match Referee Roshan Mahanama.

The PCB added that another hearing is scheduled to take place within the next 48 hours, after which the match referee will announce his verdict.

Additionally, Karachi Kings fast bowler Hasan Ali was fined 10 per cent of his match fee for a Level 1 breach of the PCB’s Code of Conduct for Players and Player Support Personnel. Hasan accepted the charge and the penalty.

He was found in violation of Article 2.5, which relates to “using language, actions or gestures that disparage or could provoke an aggressive reaction from a batter upon dismissal during a match.”

The incident occurred on the last ball of the 19th over of Lahore Qalandars’ batting innings when Hasan dismissed Haseebullah.

Earlier, Karachi Kings combined a disciplined bowling performance with a composed chase, led by Muhammad Waseem, to defeat defending champions Lahore Qalandars by four wickets in a tense PSL 11 clash at Gaddafi Stadium on Sunday.

Chasing a modest target of 129 on a challenging surface, Karachi Kings reached 129/6 with three balls to spare.

A five-run penalty against Lahore Qalandars for ball-tampering reduced the target further. Haris Rauf dismissed Khushdil Shah on the first ball of the final over, but Abbas Afridi struck a four and a six in quick succession to seal a dramatic victory for Karachi Kings.