Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) has sanctioned the manager and Chief Operating Officer of Multan Sultans Haider Azhar for his conduct during the final of the Pakistan Super League season 8.
Azhar reportedly did not kindly take kindly to some wide balls that on-field umpires Rashid Riaz and Alex Wharf called. He was also among the members of Sultans who were seen arguing with reserve umpire Asif Yaqoob.
The incident also drew PSL director Usman Wahla’s attention, which led to PCB charging Haider Azhar with a level three violation of PSL’s code of conduct, which means an automatic one-game ban from the dugout.
Sri Lankan match referee Roshan Mahanama upheld the decision but Haider still has the right to appeal the decision if he so chooses.
If the charge is upheld, the COO of the Sultans will be absent from team duties for the first game of PSL 9.
Things got tense during the final game of PSL 8 between the Sultans and Lahore Qalandars which Shaheen Afridi’s team eventually won by just a single run. Haider Azhar and others from team management were incensed by some of the calls which would have meant that Mohammad Rizwan’s side would have won instead of their counterparts.
PCB has come down with an iron fist on any potential breaches of PSL’s code of conduct this season. Colin Munro, Tim David, Shadab Khan, Fazalhaq Farooqi and others have all been fined their match fees for breaches with the Sultans’ manager being another name in the list.
