Pakistan’s cricket history has, at times, been marked by ball-tampering controversies. These incidents have repeatedly triggered debate around the spirit of the game, the mechanics of reverse swing, and the fine line between accepted ball management and violations of the rules.
The latest case emerged on March 29, 2026, during PSL 11, when Lahore Qalandars opener Fakhar Zaman was formally charged for allegedly altering the condition of the ball in a match against Karachi Kings. This has brought attention to past cases involving some of Pakistan’s most prominent cricketers, including leading fast bowlers and captains.
Key Pakistan Players Linked to Ball Tampering Cases
1. Waqar Younis (2000)
In July 2000, Waqar Younis became the first player in international cricket to be suspended and fined for ball tampering.
The incident took place during the Singer Triangular Series in Sri Lanka on July 8, 2000, in an ODI between Pakistan and South Africa at the R. Premadasa Stadium, Colombo.
Television footage captured Waqar using his fingernails on the ball, attempting to lift the quarter seam and scratch its surface. Match Referee John Reid reviewed the evidence and found him guilty of breaching the ICC Code of Conduct.
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Waqar received a one-match ban with immediate effect and was fined 50% of his match fee.
2. Azhar Mahmood (2000)
Azhar Mahmood was also penalised in the same July 8, 2000 match against South Africa during the Singer Triangular Series.
Replays showed both Azhar Mahmood and Waqar Younis scratching the ball. They were charged under Rules 1 and 2 of the ICC Code of Conduct and Law 42.4 of the Laws of Cricket.
Azhar was fined 30% of his match fee for his role, described as involvement or “abetting” the offence. Meanwhile, captain Moin Khan received a severe reprimand for failing to prevent the actions and uphold the spirit of the game.
3. Shoaib Akhtar (2002, 2003)
Shoaib Akhtar faced multiple sanctions related to ball tampering and later made admissions about using illegal methods.
In November 2002, during the first Test in Harare against Zimbabwe, he was found guilty of altering the ball’s condition and was issued an official warning along with a suspended one-match ban by Match Referee Clive Lloyd.
In May 2003, during a triangular series match in Dambulla, Sri Lanka, footage showed Akhtar scratching the seam in the 29th over. The incident was reported by third umpire Gamini Silva, and following a hearing with Match Referee Gundappa Viswanath, Akhtar was fined 75% of his match fee and banned for two ODIs.
In his 2011 autobiography Controversially Yours, he admitted to tampering with the ball using boot nails and the zip of his back pocket.
4. Shahid Afridi (2010)
On January 31, 2010, Shahid Afridi was involved in a widely discussed ball-tampering incident during the fifth ODI against Australia at the WACA in Perth.
Serving as stand-in captain in place of Mohammad Yousuf, Afridi was caught on camera biting the white Kookaburra ball twice in the 44th over in an attempt to adjust the seam.
TV umpire Rod Tucker identified the act and alerted on-field umpires Asoka de Silva and Paul Reiffel, who replaced the ball.
Match Referee Ranjan Madugalle charged Afridi under Article 2.2.9 of the ICC Code of Conduct and imposed two suspension points, leading to a two-match T20I ban.
The PCB initially fined him 3 million before later withdrawing the penalty. After the match, Afridi said he was just “trying to smell the ball” but later admitted guilt, stating it happened in the “heat of the moment”.
5. Imran Khan (1994)
In 1994, two years after retiring, Imran Khan stirred global debate following the release of his biography Imran: The Autobiography of Imran Khan.
In the book, he admitted to using a bottle top to “doctor” the ball during a 1981 English County Championship match between Sussex and Hampshire.
He explained that on a flat pitch, he used the bottle top to roughen one side of the ball, after which it began to “move around in the air at a phenomenal pace,” helping him claim several wickets.
Imran distinguished “doctoring” from lifting the seam, suggesting the latter was common practice in county cricket at the time. He also maintained that while such methods aided reverse swing, skill and pace remained essential.
6. Fakhar Zaman (2026)
On March 29, 2026, Fakhar Zaman became the latest Pakistan player involved in a ball-tampering controversy during PSL 11.
In a match between Lahore Qalandars and Karachi Kings, he was charged with a Level 3 offence for altering the ball’s condition.
Shortly before the final over, with Karachi requiring 14 runs, cameras showed Fakhar alongside captain Shaheen Afridi and Haris Rauf handling the ball during a huddle.
Umpire Faisal Afridi, after consulting square-leg umpire Sharfuddoula, inspected the ball, ruled it had been tampered with, replaced it, and awarded five penalty runs to Karachi Kings.
This incident followed a December 2025 ICC demerit point received by Fakhar for dissent during an international match.
