PSL committee rejects Fakhar Zaman’s appeal against two-match ban

Islamabad: The Pakistan Super League technical committee has turned down Fakhar Zaman’s appeal, leaving in place the two-match suspension handed to the Lahore Qalandars batter in a ball-tampering case, the Pakistan Cricket Board said on Thursday.

Fakhar, 35, had been banned for two PSL matches after he was found to have violated the league’s code of conduct during Lahore Qalandars’ four-wicket loss to Karachi Kings on Sunday. He later sought to challenge the punishment, but the matter was reviewed by the PSL technical committee, which upheld the original decision.

In accordance with the Code of Conduct, any decision made by the PSL technical committee shall be the full, final and complete disposition of the matter and will be binding on all parties,

The PCB said in its official statement that the ruling leaves no further avenue for appeal.

According to the details provided, Fakhar was charged under Article 41.3 of the PSL playing conditions, a provision dealing with changing the condition of the ball in order to obtain an unfair advantage.

The incident took place late in the match. The ball had passed between Shaheen Afridi and Fakhar before the start of the final over, after which on-field umpire Faisal Afridi became suspicious and asked Haris Rauf to hand over the ball. Following an extended discussion with fellow umpire Sharfuddoula, the umpires decided to replace the ball after concluding that it had been tampered with.

Lahore Qalandars were also docked five runs as part of the penalty. Those added runs proved important in the closing stages of the contest, with Karachi Kings completing the chase with three balls remaining in a tightly fought finish.

With the appeal now dismissed, Fakhar will be unavailable for Lahore Qalandars’ next two matches. He is set to miss the side’s fixture against Multan Sultans on Friday and the game against Islamabad United on April 9.

His absence comes as Lahore Qalandars attempt to regain momentum in the tournament, with the team now set to continue without one of its senior batters for the next two outings.

Ban remains in force after committee review

The PCB’s statement made clear that the technical committee’s decision is final under the PSL code of conduct. That means the sanction imposed after Sunday’s match remains fully effective, and Fakhar will serve the suspension in the upcoming league fixtures.

The development follows a closely contested game against Karachi Kings in which the ball-tampering decision and the accompanying five-run penalty became a significant talking point after the result.