New Delhi: Lahore Qalandars captain following ball-tampering scandal in Pakistan Super League (PSL) Shaheen Afridi The burning question was expected to come before him—and it did. After Lahore Qalandars’ defeat, Afridi was asked about the dramatic final, which involved his teammate and star opener Fakhar Zaman for allegedly tampering with the ball.Here’s what was said in the postgame speech:Ramiz Raza: The final possession was quite dramatic, especially due to the change in the position of the ball due to suspected ball tampering. What are your thoughts on that incident?Afridi: I actually don’t know much about it. We had to check what was actually happening on camera. We’ll talk about it and see who did what because it really hurt us badly. Five free throws made a big difference. But right now, we can’t say too much until we know for sure.The incident took place during a PSL match between Qalandars and Karachi Kings in Lahore and Fakhar found himself at the center of controversy.The problem arose when Lahore Qalandars fast bowler Haris Rauf was about to bowl the final over, with Karachi Kings needing 14 runs to win.As Rauf prepared to bowl, captain Shaheen Afridi and Fakhar had a brief discussion with him to formulate a plan for the final over.Astonishingly, cameras captured Fakhar changing the ball.On-field umpire Faisal Afridi then called out the ball, inspected it and held a lengthy discussion with Bangladesh umpire Sharfuddoula.After much deliberation, the umpire concluded that the ball had been deliberately altered and awarded Karachi five penalty points, reducing the target to nine runs from the last six balls.The ball has also changed.Lahore Qalandars eventually lost the match by four wickets.
