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Cricket PlayersBall tampering scandal rocks PSL; Shaheen Afridi, Haris Rauf, Fakhar Zaman caught in the act; Lahore Qalandars penalised
Lahore Qalandars captain Shaheen Afridi reacted to the ball tampering scandal in the PSL 2026. Here's what he said.
Lahore Qalandars Shaheen Shah Afridi refrained from issuing an emotional reaction after his team was handed a five-run penalty in the Pakistan Super League (PSL) 2026 encounter against the Karachi Sings on Sunday. The match, which turned out to be a final over nail-biter, was rocked by the ball tampering scandal after the Qalandars were accused of changing the condition of the ball before the final over of the game, eventually bowled by Haris Rauf. Heading into the final six balls, Karachi Kings, led by David Warner, needed 14 runs; however, the five-run penalty brought the target down to 9 runs.
Before Rauf was about to bowl the first ball of the final over of the game, the cameras picked up the pacer in a brief chat with skipper Shaheen and Fakhar Zaman at the bowlers' run-up mark. Umpire Faisal Afridi closely monitored the interaction and immediately called for the ball to be inspected.
Also Read: Shaheen Afridi, Raza breach 'security protocols' during PSL, accused of 'forcefully escorting' visitors to hotel room
A lengthy chat between Shaheen and square-leg umpire Sharfuddoula followed, and the umpires eventually decided that the Qalandars had deliberately altered the condition of the ball, awarding five penalty runs to the Kings.
Moreover, the ball was immediately changed, and Shaheen was left fuming. The decision proved to be a game-changer as the Kings scored 9 runs in the final over, registering their second win on the trot in the PSL 2026 edition.
Abbas Afridi hit a four and a six to seal the win, helping the franchise maintain their perfect run in the PSL 2026 season with two wins in two matches.
‘Shaheen reacts’
At the post-match presentation, Shaheen was asked to comment on the five-run penalty; however, the experienced Pakistan pacer did not give a clear answer. However, he said his team would return to the dressing room and review the footage to determine whether the ball's condition was deliberately altered.
“I don't know about this, and we'll see if it's there in the camera and discuss what it is. Actually, five runs taken and we can't do anything,” Shaheen said at the post-match presentation.
Lahore all-rounder Sikandar Raza also reacted to the raging controversy at the post-match presentation, saying he didn't do anything to change the condition of the ball.
“You have to ask the umpires why they changed the ball. When we asked them why they changed the ball, they told us to go away. When they were making the decision, the umpires requested us, even the captain, to go back to the fielding positions,” said Raza.
“I can only speak about myself. There was never any attempt on my part to change the condition of the ball, or even to try. All I remember is that when I was trying to dry the ball and make it shine, the umpires asked us not to dry it under the shirt. Who they are accusing, unless we don't see the proof, I think it's a big decision. I have not been called for an enquiry,” he added.
With this win, the Karachi Kings moved to the top of the points table with 4 points from two matches, while the Lahore Qalandars are at the second spot with two points.
