Pakistan Cricketer Azam Khan Fined for Featuring Palestinian Flag on His Bat

Pakistan wicketkeeper cum batter Azam Khan has been fined 50% of his match fees by the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) for breaching clothing and equipment regulations during a National T20 Cup match in Karachi. As per the report in Pakistan News, Azam displayed Palestine’s flag on his bat, and the player informed the officials that all of his bats had the same stickers. This incident was identified during the match between Azam’s Karachi Whites and Lahore Blues at the National Stadium on Sunday.

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“The young batter was fined 50% of his match fees. The batter was earlier warned by the referee not to display the unapproved logo (Palestine’s flag) on his bat as it would be a breach of the ICC code of conduct, of which the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) is also a signatory,” a source close to the PCB informed Geo News.

The report also claimed that Azam had used the same sticker in the previous two matches, but was not informed or warned by the officials before Sunday’s match. As per the ICC’s clothing and equipment regulation, “players shall not be allowed to display messages that carry political, religious, or racial activities or causes.”

This comes after Pakistan pacer Mohammed Rizwan dedicated his team’s victory over Sri Lanka in the CWC 2023 to the “brothers and sisters in Gaza” amid the ongoing Israel-Palestine crisis.

“This was for our brothers and sisters in Gaza. Happy to contribute to the win. Credits to the whole team and especially Abdullah Shafique and Hassan Ali for making it easier. Extremely grateful to the people of Hyderabad for the amazing hospitality and support throughout,” Rizwan posted on X.

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