Pakistan cricketer Fakhar Zaman handed two-match PSL ban for ball tampering

Lahore-qalandars" class="entity-link entity-organization" data-entity-id="25372" data-entity-type="organization">Lahore Qalandars batter was found guilty of changing the condition of the ball in the match against Karachi Kings.Pakistan international Fakhar Zaman has been banned for two matches after being found guilty of ball tampering during the country’s showpiece T20 cricket league.“Zaman has been suspended for two Pakistan Super League (PSL) matches after he was found guilty of a Level 3 offence for tampering with the ball,” the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) said in a statement on Tuesday.The 35-year-old opener was seen on video footage altering the condition of the ball during his team Lahore-qalandars" class="entity-link entity-organization" data-entity-id="25372" data-entity-type="organization">Lahore Qalandars’ match against Karachi Kings in Lahore on Sunday night.The PCB charged Zaman, who denied ball tampering, at a disciplinary hearing with match referee Roshan Mahanama of Sri Lanka.Mahanama viewed television footage which showed Qalandars’ players Zaman, skipper Shaheen Shah Afridi and Haris Rauf, and umpire Faisal Afridi inspecting the condition of the ball.Lahore-qalandars" class="entity-link entity-organization" data-entity-id="25372" data-entity-type="organization">Lahore Qalandars’ captain Shaheen Shah Afridi and Fakhar Zaman talk during the PSL match against Karachi Kings [Syed Murtaza Ali/AFP]The umpire awarded five penalty runs against Qalandars, who lost the match by four wickets.Shaheen was also fined $3,500 for breaking the tournament’s tight security protocols.The PSL is taking place behind closed doors without fans – and only at two venues instead of six – because of fuel supply concerns caused by the Iran war.Afridi was fined by the Qalandars for breaching security protocols at his team hotel in Lahore, one of two host cities along with Karachi for this year’s tournament.Punjab Police said Afridi was refused permission to take visitors to teammate Sikander Raza’s room but did so anyway.