The charge relates to an alleged breach of the playing conditions that prohibit players from altering the condition of the ball.
The incident took place during Karachi’s chase and proved to be one of the decisive moments of the match.
According to officials, Fakhar denied the allegation during a disciplinary hearing conducted by match referee Roshan Mahanama. A further hearing is set to be held within the next 48 hours, after which a final decision will be made.
The controversy erupted shortly before the final over, when the on-field umpires inspected the ball and ruled that its condition had been changed, leading to a five-run penalty against Lahore.
That decision had a major impact on the finish, cutting Karachi’s equation from 14 needed off the final over to just 9. Abbas Afridi then took full advantage, hitting back-to-back boundaries to seal a four-wicket win for Karachi.
After the match, Lahore captain Shaheen Shah Afridi admitted he was disappointed by the development but said he was not fully aware of the details at the time.
“I don’t know about this, and we’ll discuss it. Five runs penalty… but we can’t say anything. We will see,” Shaheen said at the post-match presentation.
