3 min readUpdated: Mar 31, 2026 06:07 PM IST
Pakistan opener Fakhar Zaman was on Tuesday handed a 2-match suspension in the Pakistan Super League for breaching the code of conduct pertaining to changing the condition of the ball. The Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) stated that the player was found guilty of a Level 3 offence for breaching Article 2.14 of the applicable Code of Conduct for Players and Player Support Personnel during the Lahore Qalandars v Karachi Kings match on March 29 at the Gaddafi Stadium.
The incident happened before the start of the the final over of the chase with Karachi needing 14 off the final over. At that point, television footages showed Fakhar, captain Shaheen Shah Afridi and Haris Rauf indulging in a conversation with the ball changing hands swiftly. Umpire Faisal Afridi, who was watching the interaction, immediately asked for the ball. And after a chat with the other on-field umpire Sharfuddoula awarded five runs to Karachi as they found Lahore had changed the condition of the ball. And as per protocols, they changed the ball, and Afridi walked away unhappy.
“On-field Umpires Shahid Saikat, Faisal Khan Aafreedi, TV Umpire Asif Yaqoob, and fourth Umpire Tariq Rasheed levelled the charge. Fakhar denied the offence and contested the charge at a full disciplinary hearing in accordance with the Code of Conduct,” the PCB said in a release.
— mediaaaa (@pctarchive) March 29, 2026
“Match Referee Roshan Mahanama conducted the disciplinary hearing and made the determination after reviewing all evidence and providing an opportunity of personal hearing to Fakhar. Lahore Qalandars Captain Shaheen Shah Afridi, Team Director Sameen Rana and Team Manager Farooq Anwar were also present during the hearing,” it added.
Lahore Qalandars are next scheduled to face Multan Sultans on April 3 at the Gaddafi Stadium and Islamabad United on April 9 at the National Bank Stadium in Karachi.
Meanwhile, on Monday, PCB imposed a heavy fine of 20 million Pakistani rupees (approx 72000 USD or 67 lakhs INR) on pacer Naseem Shah for posting sarcastic tweets in reply to a PCB social media post of Punjab’s chief minister Maryam Nawaz. PCB deemed the tweet, which was quickly deleted, as breach of the clauses of his central contract.
