Ahmed Shehzad pleaded not guilty to ball tampering charge but found otherwise in hearing, says PCB
In a Quaid-e-Azam Trophy fixture between Central Punjab and Sindh, the former has been accused of ball-tampering which took place in the 17th over of the Sindh innings according to a PCB press release. Central Punjab skipper Ahmed Shehzad, who has been fined, has pleaded not guilty to the charges.
Central Punjab skipper Ahmed Shehzad have been fined half of his match fee as his side was found guilty of ball-tampering. The incident took place a week ago in a Quaid-e-Azam Trophy match between Central Punjab and Sindh. According to a press release by the Pakistan Cricket Board, the umpires found the condition of the "ball had been unfairly changed by a member of the fielding side". While Shehzad has accepted the sanction against him but he has clearly pleaded not guilty of the charges levelled against his side.
According to the PCB press release, the incident took place in the 17th over of the Sindh innings. The on-field umpires, Mohammad Asif and Zameer Haider found out about in a routine inspection of the ball, later reported the incident to the match referee Nadeem Arshad, who believed Shehzad, as leader of the side, had a case to answer.
"Ahmed pleaded not guilty to the charge, and, as such, a hearing took place after the match on Thursday, in which Ahmed was found guilty," the PCB release stated.
Shehzad stressed that the ball wasn’t damaged unnaturally but the rough playing surface was the reason behind the alteration of its condition.
"We can agree to disagree in this incident as I maintain that the condition of the ball changed naturally due to the rough playing square and not artificially," Shehzad told ESPNCricinfo. "I tried to convince the match officials, but they insisted and I accept and respect their decision.
"I would never indulge in such an act nor allow any of my teammates to disrespect the game. My priority is to play hard, competitive and result-oriented cricket, and at the same time inspire the younger generation, which watches us play the game."
Baring the skipper, Azhar Ali and Sohail Khan also faced sanctions from the match referee for indulging in arguments during the closing moments of the match. Both the players have accepted the charges levelled against them.
"Azhar Ali was found guilty of engaging in a Level 1 offence described in Article 2.9, which deals with throwing a ball at or near a player, support personnel, umpire, match referee or any other third person in an inappropriate and/or dangerous manner during a match, while Sohail Khan was found guilty of committing an Article 2.10 - Level 1 offence, which pertains to time wasting by any player or team during a match", the PCB said.
"Both the players were charged by on-field umpires Mohammad Asif and Zameer Ahmed. As the players accepted the proposed sanctions by match referee Nadeem Arshad, there was no further need for formal hearings."