The Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) has officially confirmed that Lahore Qalandars batsman Fakhar Zaman will face a Level 3 serious offence. Fakhar Zaman denied serious allegations of ball tampering leveled against him during the Pakistan Super League (PSL) 2026 match against Karachi Kings on Sunday, March 29.
The match played at Gaddafi Stadium was completely overshadowed by the ball tampering scandal. The on-field umpires intervened just before the final over of the run chase. After inspecting the ball, the officials awarded five penalty runs to the Karachi Kings. Karachi Kings won by four wickets in the last over.
The incident happened just before Haris Rauf started the final over of the match. In the run chase, Karachi Kings needed 14 runs from six balls. Fakhar Zaman was captured on camera handling the ball while standing with Rauf and captain Shaheen Shah Afridi.
After Fakhar gave the ball to the bowler, umpire Faisal Afridi saw the interaction and immediately called for a strict inspection. After a lengthy discussion on the field, the umpires concluded that Lahore Qalandars had deliberately altered the condition of the ball.
As a result, the umpires awarded five penalty runs to Karachi Kings, falling short of the target. The team chasing the target needed only nine runs in the last over. Karachi Kings easily chased down the revised target with three balls to spare. Abbas Afridi completed the job, sealing a crucial win by four wickets.
Fakhar Zaman denies allegations after being charged with Level 3 offense by PCB
After the match, the PCB released an official statement confirming that Fakhar Zaman had been charged with a Level 3 offence. Match referee Roshan Mahanama led a preliminary disciplinary hearing into the incident.
Fakhar has denied all the serious allegations of ball tampering against him. Since he dismissed the official charges, another hearing is scheduled to take place within the next 48 hours.
“Fakhar Zaman of Lahore Qalandars has been charged with a Level 3 offense under Article 2.14 of the Code of Conduct applicable to players and player support personnel for breaching Article 41.3 of the Playing Conditions of HBL PSL 11, which makes it an offense to take any action that alters the condition of the ball,” the PCB said in an official statement.
“During the disciplinary hearing led by Match Referee Roshan Mahanama, Fakhar denied the allegations made against him. Another hearing will take place within the next 48 hours after which the Match Referee will share his decision. The incident occurred during the second innings of the match,” the statement said.
We’ll see if it’s on camera – Shaheen Afridi on ball tampering allegations
Lahore Qalandars captain Shaheen Shah Afridi was disappointed with the umpire’s decision. During the post-match presentation, he was asked about the controversial penalty, but avoided a direct answer, saying that team management would review the official footage.
He also expressed confusion over the five-run penalty and said his team fought hard till the last ball against the Karachi Kings.
Afridi said, “I don’t know about it and we will see if it is on camera and discuss what it is.”
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