Ball tampering incident is a black day in cricket: Alam

Karachi:

Pakistan beleaguered coach Intikhab Alam termed Shahid Afridi's ball tampering incident as unfortunate and said it was one of the blackest day in world cricket.

"It was a most unfortunate incident and it damaged the image of Pakistan," Intikhab told the media. "It was a black day for cricket," he added.

However, Alam backed Afridi's claim that ball tampering is a universal thing but said his way of doing it was wrong.

"Ball tampering takes place everywhere and it is done in many countries but the way Shahid Afridi did it is not acceptable at all," he said.

The Pakistan coach said he has completed his report on the Afridi incident and would be submitting it to the board in next two to three days.

Afridi had admitted to tampering with the ball during the fifth and final ODI against Australia in Perth and was subsequently banned for two T20 matches.

His ball tampering incident where he tried to gnaw into the ball has evoked lot of criticism in Pakistan as well with calls for him to be removed as captain of the T20 team.

But Pakistan cricket Board chairman Ejaz Butt has said that there are no immediate plans to sack Afridi as captain.

"We have decided nothing as yet and we are waiting for the report from the manager and coach on the incident. Once we get the report we will take a decision," he said.

Butt said talk about sacking Afridi as captain was premature and a product of media speculation.

"We have also formed an inquiry committee to probe into the team's performances in Australia which will also look into the Afridi incident," Butt said.

"The committee will decide whether to impose a financial penalty on Afridi, ban him or let the matter rest as the ICC match referee has already banned him," Butt said.

Wasim Bari, the chief operating officer of the board, who heads the committee has indicated that the inquiry committee is likely to impose a financial penalty on Afridi.