Fakhar Zaman has denied a ball-tampering charge after Lahore Qalandars were penalised five runs in their Pakistan Super League defeat to Karachi Kings.
Umpires ruled Fakhar had “unfairly chang[ed] the condition of the ball”, an offence that could carry a one- or two-match ban if upheld. The alleged tampering occurred just before the final over, with Karachi needing 14 runs to chase Lahore’s 128-9.
The ball was replaced and the batting side selected the new ball, reducing the Kings’ target to nine from six deliveries. Qalandars seamer Haris Rauf took a wicket with the next ball but conceded a wide, and back-to-back boundaries from Abbas Afridi sealed a Kings victory in 19.3 overs.
Match referee Roshan Mahanama will hold a hearing in the coming days. Cricket’s Law 41.3.2 states it is an offence for any player to take any action that changes the condition of the ball.
Qalandars captain Shaheen Shah Afridi, angered by the ball change at the time, said at the post-match presentation: “We’ll see [what the umpires say].” Asked later he added: “I don’t know about this. We will see if it is that in the camera. We will discuss.”
Fakhar has played 215 times for Pakistan across the formats.