Former Pakistan cricketer Rashid Latif has questioned the ball-tampering controversy in the ongoing Pakistan Super League (PSL), saying the issue may have been amplified to draw attention.
The incident took place during the match between Lahore Qalandars and Karachi Kings, when umpire Faisal Afridi took the ball from Haris Rauf for inspection after it had been passed between Shaheen Shah Afridi and Fakhar Zaman. He then spoke at length with fellow umpire Sharfuddoula before deciding to replace the ball. The umpires believed the ball had been altered, and the situation drew more attention when Shaheen could not give a clear response to Ramiz Raja during the post-match presentation.
In a video that has gone viral on social media, Latif said such situations can sometimes be used to increase interest in a tournament. “I don’t want to talk about ball tampering. Otherwise, I will have to talk about my playing days, as it will be unfair to just talk about the current players. If any film is coming out and you know that it will be a flop, it is made into a controversy. Like they did with The Hundred when they said that no Pakistan player will be playing. No one knew The Hundred before that. Now there is a controversy in PSL and it will become headlines. This news will not be relevant for more than 24 hours,” he said.
Meanwhile, Zaman has been charged with a Level 3 offence under Article 2.14 of the Code of Conduct for Players and Player Support Personnel for an alleged breach of Article 41.3, which does not allow any action that changes the condition of the ball.
Zaman denied the charge during a hearing conducted by match referee Roshan Mahanama. Another hearing is expected within the next 48 hours, after which a decision will be taken.
The incident happened in the second innings, just before the final over of the Karachi Kings’ chase, when they needed 14 runs to win.
Soon after Zaman was seen speaking with Rauf and Shaheen, the umpire checked the ball and concluded that its condition had been changed. A five-run penalty followed, reducing the target to nine runs in the final over.
Abbas Afridi then hit boundaries on the second and third deliveries to help Karachi Kings win by four wickets.
After the match, Shaheen said he was not aware of the details at the time. “I don’t know about this [ball tampering], and we’ll discuss. Five runs penalty…but we can’t say anything. We will see,” he said.
If the charge is proven, Zaman and possibly Lahore Qalandars could face further action.
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