Lahore Qalandars slap hefty fine on Shaheen Shah Afridi for security protocol violation

Lahore Qalandars have slapped a hefty fine of PKR 1 million (ISD 3600 approx) on their captain, Shaheen Shah Afridi, following the incident that urged Punjab Police to accuse him of violating security protocols at the team hotel.

Qalandars released a statement and said they fined their captain to "maintain discipline and impose accountability" and decided not to take any action against Sikandar Raza, who was also accused by the Punjab Police of breaching security protocols.

Significantly, Raza took accountability for the incident at a press conference on Monday, thereby attempting to exonerate Shaheen from the blame.

In their statement, Qalandars asserted that the incident was a result of "misunderstanding" and wasn't a "deliberate attempt to violate established procedures".

"While underscoring that the matter arose from a misunderstanding rather than any deliberate attempt to violate established procedures, Lahore Qalandars reiterated its full respect for all security protocols," the statement said.

"The organisation reaffirmed its commitment to strict adherence to standard operating procedures (SOPs) and emphasised the importance of continued clarity and alignment in the communication of protocols to prevent similar situations in the future."

Punjab Police had written a letter to the PSL CEO, Salman Naseer, and the PCB, stating that there was a request made by the liaison officer of Lahore Qalandars to allow entry to four relatives of Raza into his room, but the request was denied due to security protocols. However, Raza and Shaheen escorted the four men into the former's room despite resistance from the security officers present at the time.

Meanwhile, Qalandars were also penalised for deliberately altering the condition of the ball during their encounter against Karachi Kings in PSL 11 on March 29, which resulted in a four-wicket loss.

Fakhar Zaman was involved in the incident and has been charged with a level III offence and could be banned for a minimum of one match.