Kamal Ghorui
NEW DELHI: It seems Pakistan cricket and controversies go hand in hand. Now, a fresh row has erupted – this time over alleged ball-tampering by Pakistan cricketers in the ongoing Pakistan Super League (PSL). The incident took place during a PSL match between Lahore Qalandars and Karachi Kings, with Lahore Qalandars’ Fakhar Zaman finding himself at the centre of the controversy.The issue surfaced when Lahore Qalandars fast bowler Haris Rauf was set to bowl the final over, with Karachi Kings needing 14 runs for victory.Rauf was preparing to bowl when captain Shaheen Afridi and Fakhar joined him for a brief discussion to chalk out a plan for the final over.What raised eyebrows was that Fakhar appeared to be caught on camera altering the ball.On-field umpire Faisal Afridi then called for the ball, inspected it, and held a lengthy discussion with fellow umpire Sharfuddoula of Bangladesh.WATCH:After deliberation, the umpires concluded that the ball had been deliberately altered and awarded five penalty runs to Karachi, reducing the target to nine runs off the final six balls.The ball was also changed.Karachi batter Khushdil Shah holed out off the first delivery of the final over, but Rauf followed it up with a wide. Abbas Afridi then struck a four and a six to seal a four-wicket win for Karachi in 19.3 overs.“Fakhar denied the charge leveled against him during a disciplinary hearing led by the match referee Roshan Mahanama,” the Pakistan Cricket Board said in a statement. “Another hearing is set to take place within the next 48 hours after which the match referee will share his verdict.” If found guilty, the minimum punishment for a Level 3 offense is a one-match ban.
