Fakhar Zaman has been suspended for two Pakistan Super League matches after he was found guilty of a Level III offence. This suspension stems from a ball-tampering incident that took place during Lahore Qalandars' defeat by Karachi Kings on Sunday. Lahore Qalandars were penalized for ball-tampering during their Pakistan Super League defeat by Karachi Kings, with the offence occurring in the final over of Karachi's run-chase. Prior to the final over, Karachi Kings were awarded five penalty runs after umpires deemed a Qalandars player had broken rules by unfairly changing the condition of the ball. The offence was initially seen by the TV umpire before on-field umpires gave the punishment. An umpire approached Haris Rauf, requested to see the ball, awarded five penalty runs to the batting side, and ordered the ball to be changed at the request of the batting side. During the incident, Fakhar Zaman, Shaheen Shah Afridi, and Haris Rauf were involved in a discussion in which Fakhar and Rauf were seen passing the ball between them.
Fakhar Zaman denied the charge and contested it at a disciplinary hearing, but match referee Roshan Mahanama upheld the offence and imposed the maximum sanction. The exact nature of the Level III offence Zaman was found guilty of has not been detailed by authorities, and it is unknown what evidence the TV umpire observed that led to the ball-tampering charge. According to BBC Sport, Shaheen Afridi described the situation by saying he was unaware of the incident and would review camera footage to discuss it further. Disciplinary actions against Haris Rauf or Shaheen Afridi for their involvement have not been confirmed, and the outcome of the PSL and PCB's response to the BBC's request for comment is still pending.
I don't know about this. We will see if it is that in the camera. We will discuss.
Karachi Kings, needing nine runs from six balls after the penalty, completed victory with three balls to spare. David Warner was captaining Karachi Kings during the match, which secured their win in the closely contested fixture. The penalty runs proved crucial in the final moments, highlighting the impact of the ball-tampering incident on the game's outcome.