New Delhi: After the ball-tampering scandal rocked the Pakistan Super League (PSL), Lahore Qalandars captain… Shaheen Afridi The burning question was expected to come his way – and it did. After the defeat to Lahore Qalandars, Afridi was asked about the dramatic final in which his teammate and star opener Fakhar Zaman was accused of ball tampering.Here’s how the post-match presentation talk went:Rameez Raja: That last over was quite dramatic, especially as the ball was changed due to suspected ball-tampering. Your thoughts on this incident?
Afridi: Actually, I don’t know much about it. We’ll have to check out what happened on camera. We will discuss it and see who did what, because it hurt us badly. Five penalty runs made a big difference. But right now, we can’t say much until we know for sure.The incident took place during a PSL match between Lahore Qalandars and Karachi Kings, in which Fakhar found himself at the center of controversy.The matter came to light when Lahore Qalandars fast bowler Haris Rauf was about to bowl the last over, with Karachi Kings needing 14 runs to win.Rauf was preparing to bowl when captain Shaheen Afridi and Fakhar joined him for a brief chat to plan the final over.What raised eyebrows was that Fakher was caught on camera changing the ball.The on-field umpire Faisal Afridi then called the ball, inspected it and had a lengthy discussion with fellow Bangladesh umpire Sharaf ud Daulah.After deliberation, the umpires concluded that the ball had been changed deliberately and Karachi were awarded five penalty runs, reducing the target to nine runs off the last six balls.
Poll
Should there be stricter rules against ball-tampering in cricket?
The ball was also changed.Lahore Qalandars eventually lost the match by four wickets.
