The Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) made a decision on Tuesday to cancel the 50% match fee fine that was imposed on Azam Khan, the right-handed batter, for having the Palestine flag on his bat during the National T20 Cup 2023.
See Azam Khan Fined for Displaying Palestinian Flag on Bat in National T20 Cup
Azam faced the fine due to breaching regulations on clothing and equipment, specifically for displaying an unapproved logo or political message. Despite warnings from the match umpire, he didn’t remove the sticker.
However, just two days after the incident, the PCB reviewed the penalty and officially waived 50% of it.
“The 50% fine imposed on Azam Khan by match officials has been reviewed and waived off by the Pakistan Cricket Board” stated the brief PCB release.
The violation was related to Article 2.4 of the PCB Code of Conduct For Players and Players Support Personnel. It concerns the failure to follow the instructions of an umpire during a match and emphasizes that personal messages on equipment are not allowed without prior approval.
According to the International Cricket Council (ICC) regulations, players can’t display messages with political, religious, or racial themes on their clothing or gear.
Earlier, Mohammad Rizwan dedicated his match-winning innings against Sri Lanka in the ICC World Cup 2023 to Gaza. His tweet on October 11 mentioned the contribution to the win and solidarity with Gaza.
The PCB had requested Rizwan to remove the social media post where he dedicated the victory to Palestinians in Gaza. When asked for comments, a PCB spokesperson referred to the ICC and the PCB’s legal department for details on this matter.