Lahore, March 30, 2026: Lahore Qalandars batter Fakhar Zaman has been charged with a Level 3 offence under Article 2.14 of the Pakistan Cricket Board Code of Conduct for allegedly tampering with the ball during a high-intensity clash against Karachi Kings.
According to the PCB, Fakhar has been accused of breaching Article 41.3 of the playing conditions, which prohibits altering the condition of the ball. However, the left-handed batter has denied the charge during a disciplinary hearing conducted by match referee Roshan Mahanama.
“Another hearing will take place within the next 48 hours, after which the match referee will announce his verdict,” the PCB said in a statement.
The controversy erupted just before the final over of Karachi Kings’ chase when on-field umpires inspected the ball and ruled that its condition had been altered. As a result, a five-run penalty was imposed on Lahore Qalandars, reducing Karachi’s target from 14 to just nine runs.
The incident followed a brief exchange between Fakhar, Lahore captain Shaheen Shah Afridi and pacer Haris Rauf, during which the ball was passed between Fakhar and Rauf. Umpires subsequently examined the ball, consulted each other, and decided to change it while awarding the penalty.
The decision proved decisive as Abbas Afridi smashed a four and a six to seal a four-wicket win for Karachi Kings with three balls to spare.
Speaking after the match, Shaheen Shah Afridi said the team would review footage before commenting further. “We will discuss this. The five-run penalty made a difference, but we will see what actually happened,” he said.
Despite the loss, Shaheen defended his side’s performance, stating that Lahore’s batting effort was competitive and the contest remained evenly poised.
If found guilty, Fakhar Zaman could face a suspension of one or two matches for a first offence under PCB regulations.
In a separate disciplinary action, Karachi Kings pacer Hasan Ali was fined 10 percent of his match fee for a Level 1 breach of the PCB Code of Conduct.
Hasan admitted the offence, which falls under Article 2.5 relating to the use of inappropriate language or gestures that could provoke a batter. The incident occurred after he dismissed Haseebullah Khan on the final ball of the 19th over.
Lahore Qalandars posted 128-9 in their 20 overs after opting to bat first, with Abdullah Shafique scoring 33 and Haseebullah Khan contributing 28.
In reply, Karachi Kings chased down the target in a tense finish, led by Muhammad Waseem (38), with support from Saad Baig (19) and Moeen Ali (18), sealing victory in the closing moments of the match.
