LAHORE: Pakistan's opening stalwart Fakhar Zaman has denied ball-tampering charges stemming from the Pakistan Super League match between Lahore Qalandars and Karachi Kings at the Gaddafi Stadium.
The 35-year-old was charged on Sunday night by match referee Roshan Mahanama with a Level 3 offence under Article 2.14 of the PSL Code of Conduct for Players and Player Support Personnel.
Zaman was found to have violated Article 41.3 of the PSL playing conditions, which prohibits any action that alters the condition of the ball.
Appearing before the former Sri Lankan cricketer, Zaman denied the charges against him.
The charge relates to an incident just before the final over of the Karachi Kings' innings, when they needed 14 runs to win.
Zaman was seen in discussion with Haris Rauf and Lahore Qalandars captain Shaheen Shah Afridi before the over.
Shortly thereafter, umpire Faisal Afridi requested the ball and, after inspecting it with his colleague, determined that its condition had been altered.
The match referee is expected to hold another hearing within the next 48 hours before delivering a verdict.
The umpires penalised Lahore Qalandars five runs for altering the condition of the ball and subsequently replaced it.
This left Karachi Kings needing nine runs in the final over, which they successfully chased down.
All-rounder Abbas Afridi sealed the victory by hitting Rauf for a four and a six after the bowler had delivered a wide.
If the match referee confirms that the ball was tampered with, Zaman -- and potentially the Lahore Qalandars as a team -- could face serious penalties.