Azam Khan, a middle-order batter, was fined 50% of his match fees for breaking rules about what to wear and how to use it by showing an unapproved logo or political message during the National T20 event in Karachi.
Azam Khan fined 50% match fees for flying Palestinian flag
During the National T20 game, Azam had the flag of Palestine on his bat. The flashy batter plays for Karachi Whites and got 35 runs against Lahore Blues on Sunday before being called out by Mohammad Javed, the match referee.
The umpire had already told the batter that putting the wrong mark (Palestine’s flag) on his bat would be against the ICC code of conduct, which the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) also agrees to.
Sources say that Azam told the judge that all of his bats have the same stickers on them. It is against the rules set by the ICC for players’ clothes and gear to have political, religious, or racial messages or actions carried out by them.
A PCB official told Geo News that Azam was charged with breaking rules about clothes and equipment. Also, the sources revealed that Azam had the same sticker on his bat in two other National T20 Cup games. But no one had told him before the game today.
During the ICC Men’s Cricket World Cup in October of this year, Pakistan’s cricket team did something similar to show their support. They prayed for all the Palestinians who were being hurt by Israel.
Indian cricket fans and experts were concerned about the players’ continued support for Palestine. They asked the ICC, which is in charge of the sport, if such actions were allowed in the event.
Sources say that the PCB agreed with the players’ actions and said, “The team’s expression of solidarity was a personal decision.”
