Fakhar faces ban over ball-tampering charge, controversy shadows dramatic match

Despite Karachi Kings’ thrilling win over Lahore Qalandars, the spotlight has shifted away from the result to Lahore’s Fakhar Zaman. The opener is staring at a possible suspension of at least one match after being charged with altering the condition of the ball, casting a shadow over an otherwise exciting contest.

Although Karachi secured a four-wicket victory in the Pakistan Super League clash in Lahore, a late incident sparked fresh controversy. The Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) has moved to take action against Fakhar over the ball-tampering allegation.

In a statement, the PCB confirmed that Fakhar has been charged with a Level-3 offence. For a first violation in a PSL season, this carries a minimum one-match ban and a maximum of two matches. Match referee Roshan Mahanama is set to conduct a hearing within the next two days, where Fakhar will contest the charge.

The incident occurred at the start of the final over of Karachi’s chase. On-field umpire Faisal Afridi took the ball from Haris Rauf for inspection after it had been passed between Shaheen Shah Afridi and Fakhar Zaman. Following a discussion with fellow umpire Sharfuddoula, the officials deemed the ball to have been tampered with and decided to replace it.

Karachi Kings were then awarded five penalty runs, a decision that proved pivotal. The equation was reduced from 14 required off 6 balls to just 9. Seizing the moment, Abbas Afridi finished the match in just two deliveries with a four and a six.

After the match, Shaheen Shah Afridi said he was not entirely clear about the reason behind the penalty runs, adding that it was ultimately the umpires’ call.

According to PSL playing conditions, umpires are allowed to inspect the ball at any time if they suspect any irregularity. If tampering is confirmed, the batting side is awarded five penalty runs, and the batters are allowed to choose a replacement ball.

In a separate incident, Karachi Kings pacer Hasan Ali was fined 10 percent of his match fee. His celebration after dismissing Haseebullah in the 19th over was deemed “provocative” and in breach of the PSL code of conduct.