Pakistan’s wicketkeeper-batter Azam Khan has been penalized 50% of his match fees by the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) for violating clothing and equipment regulations in a National T20 Cup match in Karachi.
As reported by Pakistan’s Geo News, Azam exhibited the flag of Palestine on his bat, explaining to officials that all of his bats had identical stickers. This incident occurred during the match between Azam’s Karachi Whites and Lahore Blues at the National Stadium on Sunday.
According to ICC’s clothing and equipment regulation, “players shall not be allowed to display messages that carry political, religious, or racial activities or causes.”
“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,” a source close to the board told Geo News.
A Pakistani batter fined for displaying the Palestine flag on their bat
The report also mentioned that Azam had employed the same sticker in the preceding two matches but had not been notified or cautioned by officials before Sunday’s match.
According to ICC’s clothing and equipment regulation, “players shall not be allowed to display messages that carry political, religious, or racial activities or causes.”
Following Pakistan wicketkeeper-batter Mohammad Rizwan’s dedication of his team’s record-breaking victory over Sri Lanka in the Cricket World Cup 2023 to the “brothers and sisters in Gaza” amid the ongoing Israel-Palestine crisis, Azam Khan’s fine for displaying the Palestine flag on his bat occurred.
While Rizwan received praise for his performance, social media users expressed dissatisfaction with his views on the crisis.
Some users argued that he should focus on cricket and avoid involvement in world politics, while others suggested that stars from the Indian cricket team would not make such statements.
“This was for our brothers and sisters in Gaza. Happy to contribute in the win. Credits to the whole team and especially Abdullah Shafique and Hassan Ali for making it easier. Extremely grateful to the people of Hyderabad for the amazing hospitality and support throughout,” Rizwan posted on X.
The Pakistan cricket team is currently preparing for a three-match Test series against Australia. A training camp has been arranged by the PCB in Rawalpindi, anticipating the team’s departure to Australia later this week.
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