Lahore Qalandars batter Fakhar Zaman has been charged over alleged ball tampering before the final over of a Pakistan Super League match against Karachi Kings yesterday (29 March).
According to a statement from the Pakistan Cricket Board, Zaman denied the allegation during a disciplinary hearing conducted by match referee Roshan Mahanama. The board said another hearing will be held within 48 hours, after which a decision will be announced. If found guilty, he could face at least a one-match suspension under Level 3 offence rules.
The incident occurred late in the match when fast bowler Haris Rauf was preparing to bowl the final over, with Karachi needing 14 runs to win.
At that point, Lahore captain Shaheen Shah Afridi, Zaman and Rauf were seen discussing strategy at the top of the run-up, during which all three handled the ball — a common practice in tense moments.
However, on-field umpire Faisal Afridi requested the ball for inspection and consulted with fellow umpire Sharfuddoula. The umpires concluded that the ball had been deliberately altered, awarding five penalty runs to Karachi and replacing the ball.
Following the decision, Karachi’s target was reduced to nine runs from the final over. Although Khushdil Shah was dismissed off the first delivery, Rauf bowled a wide before Abbas Afridi struck a boundary and a six to secure a four-wicket victory for Karachi in 19.3 overs.
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