LAHORE: Heavy rain and thunderstorms forced the abandonment of the Pakistan Super League’s (PSL) 11 seventh match between Islamabad United and Peshawar Zalmi at Gaddafi Stadium, Lahore, without a single ball being bowled.
The downpour began just minutes before the toss, originally scheduled to be held at 6:30pm as per the local time, and got heavier with time. Although the ground staff swiftly covered the ground at the time of the downpour, and later worked tirelessly to dry the field, their efforts remained insufficient as the fixture was called off 30 minutes before the official cut-off time for a five-over match, resulting in both teams sharing a point apiece.
The abandonment of today’s fixture bolstered Zalmi’s points tally to three in two matches, while the three-time champions United received their first.
The 2017 champions, as a result, climbed up to the second position, pushing down Lahore Qalandars and Multan Sultans, respectively, while the United jumped to the sixth spot, pipping RawalPindiz, who are yet to taste triumph.
Zalmi’s next PSL 11 match is scheduled to be played on April 8 when they take on tournament debutants Hyderabad Kingsmen in Karachi, while the United will lock horns with the Gladiators on April 4 at the same venue.
PCB suspends star player over code of conduct violation
Earlier, the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) has suspended star player Fakhar Zaman for two matches in a ball tampering case.
According to the PCB, the incident took place in the last over of the match between Lahore Qalandars and Karachi Kings on Sunday, when Karachi needed 14 runs to win. During this crucial moment, Fakhar Zaman, along with captain Shaheen Shah Afridi and fast bowler Haris Rauf, had a brief conversation and exchanged the ball.
Following this suspicious exchange, the umpires inspected the ball, awarded five penalty runs to the opposing team, and replaced the ball. This decision proved to be pivotal, as Karachi achieved their target three balls early, with Abbas Afridi playing aggressively to lead the team to a four-wicket victory.
The PCB determined that Fakhar Zaman was guilty of a level 3 offence. As a result, he will miss matches against Multan Sultans and Islamabad United. During the hearing, Fakhar Zaman denied the charges against him.
