LAHORE: Lahore Qalandars captain Shaheen Shah Afridi addressed the five-run penalty his team received for allegedly altering the condition of the ball in their tight Pakistan Super League (PSL) 11 encounter against Karachi Kings at Gaddafi Stadium.
The penalty came just before the final over of the Kings’ chase, when the umpires examined the ball and determined it had been tampered with. As a result, Karachi Kings’ target was reduced from 14 runs to nine, giving them a clear advantage in the final six balls.
The ruling proved pivotal as Abbas Afridi quickly scored a boundary followed by a six, steering the Kings to a thrilling four-wicket victory over Lahore.
After the match, a visibly reflective Shaheen Afridi admitted uncertainty over the decision.
“I’m not entirely sure about what happened with the ball,” he said. “We’ll review the footage and discuss it as a team. The five-run penalty definitely impacts the game, but I don’t want to jump to conclusions right now.”
Despite the setback, Afridi praised his team’s overall performance, emphasizing the competitiveness of the match.
“It was a solid contest. We fought until the last ball, which is what we expect from ourselves. Both sides were in similar positions, and a total around 120 is usually chaseable, but our bowlers gave their best,” he added.
Afridi also dismissed any notion that Lahore faces a mental disadvantage against Karachi Kings, who extended their lead in head-to-head encounters.
“There’s no psychological barrier. We competed hard till the very end, and that’s the most important thing for me,” he concluded.
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