Lahore Qalandars penalised for ball tampering
Sports
Shaheen Afridi was left fuming by the decision but did not comment on it at the presentation.
LAHORE (Dunya News) - Lahore Qalandars were plunged into a ball-tampering scandal after being penalised five runs for changing the condition of the ball before the final over of their game against Karachi Kings. The game, which Kings won with three balls to spare, saw its big flashpoint come after 19 overs of the second innings had passed. Kings needed 14 runs to win, with Haris Rauf to bowl the final over for Qalandars.
Shaheen Afridi, Rauf and Fakhar Zaman converged briefly at the bowler's run-up, with each player handling the ball at some point. Umpire Faisal Afridi appeared to be watching the interaction, and immediately called for the ball to inspect it. After a lengthy look and a detailed discussion between Afridi and square-leg umpire Sharfuddoula, the umpires ultimately appeared to decide Qalandars had deliberately altered the condition of the ball, and awarded five penalty runs to Kings. In addition, the ball was immediately changed. Qalandars captain Shaheen was incensed by the decision, which left Kings with just nine runs to chase.
At the post match presentation, Afridi appeared to say he was unclear on why the penalty runs were awarded. "We'll see [what the umpires say]".
The decision proved pivotal, with the game swinging swiftly in Kings' favour. While Khushdil Shah holed out off the first delivery, Rauf bowled a wide off the next delivery, before Abbas Afridi struck a four and a six to finish the game off, with Kings sealing a dramatic win. It means Kings maintain their perfect record this season with two wins in two, while Qalandars have now split their two games.
