Trouble is brewing in PSL franchise Lahore Qalandars after two of their players, captain Shaheen Shah Afridi and Zimbabwe’s Sikandar Raza, have been accused of forcefully escorting four unauthorised visitors to the floor of the hotel where they were staying. According to reports, the Punjab Police have accused the two players of ‘serious breach of established security protocols’ and ‘disregarding directives’ ahead of their match against Karachi Kings on Sunday.
The issue came to the limelight after Punjab Police letter to Lahore Qalanders went viral on social media. As per the letter, the Punjab police alleged that Lahore’s liaison officer approached the PCB’s security and anti-corruption official seeking permission to allow the four visitors known to Raza to meet him at the hotel room around 10:35 pm. After the request was denied, the franchise’s owner sought fresh permission around 11:00 PM, which too was declined on security grounds.
However, as per the letter, Raza and Afridi forcefully took the four visitors bypassing the protocols and resistance from the security personnel around soon after and reports say the guests stayed in the room till 1:25 am. “We are aware of an incident involving two Lahore Qalandars players, and are in communication with the PSL over the matter,” Umar Farooq, Qalandars’ head of media, told ESPNcricinfo.
Speaking to the media at the end of the match, Raza said, “He (Afridi) did not force anyone. In fact it was my request as it was my family and friends. In the previous four years, there hasn’t been any restrictions on meeting my family or relatives. If the SOPs have changes then neither me or Shaheen to an extent were aware of it.
The incident is not the only controversy that has hit Lahore Qalanders. On Sunday, during their defeat to Karachi Kings, they were penalised five runs for changing the condition of the ball. One of their players, Fakkhar Zaman has been charged with ball tampering by the onfield umpires and the match referee is set to have a hearing on the same.
