Pakistan batter Azam Khan has been fined 50% of his match fees by the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) for breaching clothing and equipment regulations during a National T20 Cup match in Karachi. Azam displayed Palestine’s flag on his bat, and although he claimed that all of his bats have the same stickers, he was warned by the referee that it would be a breach of the ICC code of conduct. The incident occurred during a match between Azam’s Karachi Whites and Lahore Blues at the National Stadium on Sunday.
A source close to the board stated, “The young batter was fined 50% of his match fees. The batter was earlier warned by the referee not to display the unapproved logo (Palestine’s flag) on his bat as it would be a breach of the ICC code of conduct, of which the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) is also a signatory.” The report also mentioned that Azam had used the same sticker in the previous two matches but was not informed or warned by officials before Sunday’s match.
According to ICC’s clothing and equipment regulation, players are not allowed to display messages that carry political, religious, or racial activities or causes. This incident comes after Pakistan wicketkeeper-batter Mohammad Rizwan dedicated his team’s record-breaking victory over Sri Lanka in the Cricket World Cup 2023 to the “brothers and sisters in Gaza” amidst the ongoing Israel-Palestine crisis.
While Rizwan’s gesture received praise, some social media users were not pleased with his views regarding the crisis. They felt that he should focus on cricket and not interfere in world politics, with some even pointing out that Indian cricket team stars would never make such statements.
The Pakistan cricket team is currently preparing for a three-match Test series against Australia. A training camp has been organized by the PCB in Rawalpindi before the team’s scheduled departure to Australia later this week.
