Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) on November 28 waived off the 50 per cent match fee fine imposed on wicketkeeper-batter Azam Khan for displaying the Palestine flag on his bat during a National T20 Championships game in Karachi.
Son of former Pakistan captain Moin Khan, Azam was fined by the PCB match referee on November 26 after he refused to remove the Palestine flag sticker from his bat.
The Karachi Whites wicketkeeper-batter violated Article 2.4 of the PCB Code of Conduct for Players and Players Support Personnel for not following the instructions given by the umpire during a match.
"Azam Khan's 50 per cent fine imposed by match officials has been reviewed and waived off by the Pakistan Cricket Board," the PCB said in a brief release.
"The Karachi Whites wicketkeeper-batter was fined 50 per cent of his match fee for being found guilty of committing a level-I offence during his side’s National T20 Cup 2023-24 match against Lahore Blues at National Bank Stadium, Karachi."
According to International Cricket Council (ICC) rules, players and team officials are now allowed to wear, display, or convey personal messages on their equipment. They can only do it if it is approved in advance by the cricket association of that particular team. In this case, Azam needed permission from the PCB Cricket Operations Department as well.
As PCB announced the fine, it led to a backlash on social media. However, this is not the first time a Pakistani cricketer as spoken for Palestine or expressed his support with a gesture. During the ODI World Cup 2023 in India, Mohammad Rizwan dedicated his century against Sri Lanka to Palestine as well.
The incident took place during the Karachi Whites' clash against Lahore Blues. In the run chase of 160, Azam scored 35 runs from 31 balls featuring six fours. But Karachi ended up losing the match by five runs.
The 25-year-old had last represented Pakistan in March 2023. Against Afghanistan, he got out for a single-digit score as Rashid Khan-led side won by seven wickets.
Azam has played five T20Is and managed to score just seven runs. He is yet to make his ODI and Test debut. However, the hard-hitting batter has been in demand in franchise T20 cricket.
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