Azam Khan fined for putting Palestinian flag on bat

Fiery batsmam Azam Khan has been fined 50 per cent of his match fee in the National T20 tournament, being played in Karachi, for putting a sticker of the Palestinian flag on his bat, Faizan Lakhani has reported for Geo.

Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) sources have said that Azam Khan was fined for using an unapproved logo or political messaging, namely the flag, thus breaching the clothing and equipment regulation that International Cricket Council (ICC) and PCB follow.

We all are hating PCB for action against Azam, but I think they opted for this being a signatory to ICC regulations (which apply on all official cricket) because the game was on TV. Azam displayed the same flag in previous games (non broadcas), nobody said anything earlier. https://t.co/UJm8UEWWoV

— Faizan Lakhani (@faizanlakhani) November 26, 2023

Azam, playing for Karachi Whites against Lahore Blues, had put up 35 on the scoreboard when he was summoned by Mohammad Javed, the match referee. Azam was warned before the match not to display the sticker but he replied that sticker was present on all his bats.

Under the PCB’s Code of Conduct, players cannot place unapproved stickers on kits or equipment, and players cannot display religious or political message stickers during matches.

Azam Khan has played with the flag of Palestine on the bat in two matches before this one.