Pakistan Batter Fined For Displaying Palestine Flag On Bat: Report

Pakistan wicketkeeper-batter Azam Khan has been fined 50% of his match fees by the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) for breaching clothing and equipment regulations during a National T20 Cup match in Karachi. According to a report in Pakistan's Geo News, Azam displayed Palestine's flag on his bat, and the player informed the officials that all of his bats have the same stickers. The incident happened during the match between Azam's Karachi Whites and Lahore Blues at the National Stadium on Sunday. 

"The young batter was fined 50% of his match fees. The batter was earlier warned by the referee not to display the unapproved logo (Palestine's flag) on his bat as it would be a breach of the ICC code of conduct, of which the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) is also a signatory," a source close to the board told Geo News.

The report also claimed that Azam had used the same sticker in the last two matches, but was not informed or warned by the officials prior to Sunday's match.

According to ICC's clothing and equipment regulation, "players shall not be allowed to display messages that carry political, religious, or racial activities or causes."

This comes after Pakistan wicketkeeper-batter Mohammad Rizwan dedicated his team's record-breaking victory over Sri Lanka in the Cricket World Cup 2023 to the "brothers and sisters in Gaza" amid the ongoing Israel-Palestine crisis. 

While Rizwan's knock earned him a lot of praise, users on social media were not pleased with his views regarding the crisis. The users pointed out that he needs to concentrate on cricket and not interfere in world politics while some opined that Indian cricket team stars will never make these kind of statements.

"This was for our brothers and sisters in Gaza. Happy to contribute in the win. Credits to the whole team and especially Abdullah Shafique and Hassan Ali for making it easier. Extremely grateful to the people of Hyderabad for the amazing hospitality and support throughout," Rizwan posted on X.

The Pakistan cricket team is currently gearing up for a three-match Test series against Australia.

The PCB has organised a training camp for the team in Rawalpindi, ahead of the scheduled departure to Australia later this week.

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