The Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) on Monday confirmed that Lahore Qalandars batter Fakhar Zaman was charged with a Level 3 offence for “changing the condition of the ball” during the Pakistan Super League (PSL) 2026 match against Karachi Kings. The fixture at the Gaddafi Stadium was marred by the ball tampering scandal after the umpires changed the ball before the final over of the game, and Karachi were also awarded five penalty runs. The on-field umpires, after a lengthy discussion with Lahore skipper Shaheen Shah Afridi, concluded that the ball’s condition had changed and that a penalty was required.
Shaheen was miffed with the call. In the end, the penalty proved crucial in the game, as the target in the final over fell from 14 to 9. Karachi then got over the line with three balls to spare. The PCB has now confirmed that a disciplinary hearing was held after the game, where it was concluded that Fakhar indeed tampered with the ball.
However, the veteran Pakistani batter denied all the allegations, and another hearing is scheduled for the next 48 hours.
“Lahore Qalandars’ Fakhar Zaman has been charged with a Level 3 Offence under Article 2.14 of the applicable Code of Conduct for Players and Player Support Personnel, for violating Article 41.3 of the HBL PSL 11 playing conditions, which makes it an offence to take any action which changes the condition of the ball,” the PCB said in an official statement.
“Fakhar denied the charge levelled against him during a disciplinary hearing led by the Match Referee Roshan Mahanama. Another hearing is set to take take place within the next 48 hours after which the Match Referee will share his verdict. The incident occurred during the second innings of the match,” the statement added.
When did the incident happen?
The incident happened before Haris Rauf bowled the first ball of the final over. Fakhar was caught on camera doing something to the ball. It all happened under the close observation of umpire Faisal Afridi. As soon as Fakhar passed the ball to Rauf, the official called for an inspection.
The umpires then decided that the Qalandars deliberately altered the condition of the ball, awarding the Kings 5 penalty runs. After the game, Shaheen was asked about the same, where he refrained from giving a clear answer,
He just stated that his team would analyse the video footage to find out whether the condition of the ball was changed deliberately.
