Shaheen Afridi 'Disappointed' With Umpires After PSL Ball-Tampering Allegations Snowballs Into Major Controversy

Pakistan's prolific batter Fakhar Zaman, pacer Shaheen Shah Afridi and Zimbabwe's Sikandar Raza have denied ball-tampering charges stemming from the Pakistan Super League match between Lahore Qalandars and Karachi Kings at the Gaddafi Stadium. The 35-year-old Zaman was charged on Sunday night by match referee Roshan Mahanama with a Level 3 offence under Article 2.14 of the PSL Code of Conduct for Players and Player Support Personnel. Zaman was found to have violated Article 41.3 of the PSL playing conditions, which prohibits any action that alters the condition of the ball.

Appearing before the former Sri Lankan cricketer, Zaman denied the charges against him.

The charge relates to an incident just before the final over of the Karachi Kings' innings, when they needed 14 runs to win.

Zaman was seen in discussion with Haris Rauf and Qalandars captain Afridi before the over. Shortly thereafter, umpire Faisal Afridi requested the ball and, after inspecting it with his colleague, determined that its condition had been altered.

The match referee is expected to hold another hearing within the next 48 hours before delivering a verdict. The umpires penalised Qalandars five runs for altering the condition of the ball and subsequently replaced it. This left Karachi Kings needing nine runs in the final over, which they successfully chased down.

All-rounder Abbas Afridi sealed the victory by hitting Rauf for a four and a six after the bowler had delivered a wide.

If the match referee confirms that the ball was tampered with, Zaman - and potentially the Lahore Qalandars as a team - could face serious penalties.

Afridi insisted on Monday that he didn't know anything about the condition of the ball being changed. "I don't know if the condition of the ball changed, but it was disappointing to see the umpires' decision," he said.

He will also appear before match referee Mahanama for a disciplinary hearing in Lahore.

Similarly, Raza, who is already facing action for breaching the PSL's security protocols at the team hotel on Saturday by bringing relatives to his room, also denied having any knowledge of the ball being tampered with.

"I don't know if the ball was tampered with or who did it. I am not aware of it," he said at a post-match conference.

A reliable PCB source said senior officials have taken the ball-tampering incident and the breach of security protocols at the team hotel seriously and have made it clear to Qalandars' management that they will have to face the consequences under the applicable code of conduct rules and regulations.

"Chairman Mohsin Naqvi is particularly unhappy about the hotel incident, as the PCB is taking great care to ensure the event is held without incident and has even disallowed spectators for league matches at the Gaddafi Stadium for the time being," the source said.

Though the official reason given for not allowing spectators is to support the government's austerity and resource-saving policies, indications are that it also has to do with ensuring top security for players and officials in the PSL.

"The board is unhappy about the PSL gaining traction for the wrong reasons, starting with the incident of the ball colour turning pink during the first match of the league between Hyderabad Kingsmen and Lahore, when the poor quality kits of the former team apparently shed colour, discolouring the ball and forcing the umpires to change it midway through the match."

Topics mentioned in this article

Shaheen Afridi Fakhar Zaman Sikandar Raza Lahore Qalandars Karachi Kings Pakistan Super League Cricket