“Umpires ne bola side ho jaayein”: A first-hand account of ball tampering

New Delhi: Pakistan cricket shaken ball tampering scandal in the Pakistan Super League (PSL). Major controversy breaks out in match between Lahore Qalandars and Karachi Kings, captain Shaheen Afridiopening remarks Farha Zaman Fast bowler Haris Rauf is under the scanner.The incident occurred in the final over of the match when Karachi Kings needed 6 balls to score 14 points.Haris Rauf prepared to bowl the final ball and just before the match began, Afridi and Fakhar had a brief discussion with him and worked out a plan.Surprisingly Fakhar appeared to be caught on camera altering 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 Kings five penalty points, reducing the target to six balls and nine runs. The ball has also changed.Lahore Qalandars eventually lost the match by four wickets.“Referee NE BOLA SIDE MEIN HO JAAYEIN”After the game, Lahore Qalandars sent overseas player Sikandar Raza to address the media at the post-match press conference, and questions surrounding the controversy were inevitable.“The umpires told us that you are on your side because they are talking to the third umpire. They will know the specific reason. If you want a clear answer, you have to ask the umpire who has an intercom and then you can ask the third umpire. They just said you are on their side. The only requirement we made was that you record where you were sitting on the field and the captain was also informed here,” Raza said.“I can only speak for myself – I never intended to change the condition of the ball, not even try. I remember trying to polish the ball or try to dry it a little bit, especially around the boundary rope, where there was a little bit of dew. The main length ball was there, there was a little bit of dew, so I just said don’t try to dry the ball under the jersey. So we started doing that with the sleeves,” he said.“Now that the clip has been played and the allegations have been made, without proper evidence, I think it was a big decision to say something like this. I just went to the dressing room and I can guarantee that I was not asked to conduct any investigation,” Raza added.Faka denies usurp the ball TOLLMatch referee Roshan Mahanama on Sunday filed a Level 3 offense charge against star opener Fakhar Zaman under Article 2.14 of the PSL Code of Conduct for Players and Player Support Personnel. He was found to have breached Article 41.3 of the PSL Conditions of Play, which prohibits any action that alters the condition of the ball.Zaman appeared before the former Sri Lankan cricketer and denied the charges against him.The match referee is expected to hold another hearing within the next 48 hours before making a ruling.If the offense is proven, Zaman – and possibly the Lahore Qalandars – could face stiff penalties.