PCB cancels fine imposed on Azam Khan for showcasing Palestine flag on his bat

Pakistan Cricket Board has completely waived off the 50% fine imposed on Azam Khan for displaying a Palestine flag on his bat during the ongoing National T20 Championships here. The cricketer was fined as he refused to remove the Palestine flag sticker from his bat.

Hyderabad: Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) cancelled the fine imposed on Azam Khan for showcasing the Palestine flag on his bat in the National T20 Championships. Azam, the son of former Pakistan captain Moin Khan was penalised 505 of his match fee as a result of denying the removal of the Palestine flag sticker from his bat. Azam was found to have violated Article 2.4 of the PCB Code of Conduct For Players and Players Support Personnel for repeated failure to stick to the instructions given by the umpire during a match.

The reason behind the move was kept anonymous in the media release by PCB and no specific cause was mentioned.

"Azam Khan's 50 per cent fine imposed by match officials has been reviewed and waived off by the Pakistan Cricket Board," the PCB said in a brief release. The Karachi Whites wicketkeeper-batter was fined 50 per cent of his match fee for being found guilty of committing a level-I offence during his side's National T20 Cup 2023-24 match against Lahore Blues at National Bank Stadium, Karachi," PCB stated in a media release.

According to the rule book of ICC, players and officials are not allowed to wear wear, display or otherwise convey personal messages on their equipment and it can only be an exception if a player has approved it from both player or team official's cricket association and PCB Cricket Operations Department.

Azam was playing for Karachi Whites against Lahore Blues when he breached the law. Azam is known for his power-hitting abilities which he has showcased in the league cricket across the globe. Notably, during the recently concluded World Cup, Mohammed Rizwan had uploaded an social media post in support of the Palestine but he managed to escape any punishment from ICC as the stated it was his personal opinion.