Lahore Qalandars have fined captain Shaheen Shah Afridi Rs1 million over a security breach “involving unauthorised entry into the players’ room”, officials said on Monday.

In a statement, the franchise said that the matter was investigated internally and was not a deliberate violation but a misunderstanding.

The franchise added that it had formally informed the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) of its decision after completing a full internal inquiry. It maintained that the incident had been exaggerated and presented contrary to facts in some reports.

The action against Shaheen has been taken in the spirit of accountability and discipline, the statement said, reiterating that the franchise respects all security protocols.

Officials said that the Qalandars’ captain had taken guests of teammate Sikandar Raza into the players’ room at the team hotel despite security staff refusing permission.

The Shaheen-led side is currently second on the points table in the ongoing Pakistan Super League (PSL) 11, with two points from two matches.

They won their campaign opener against the Hyderabad Kingsmen on March 26; however, the side suffered a four-wicket defeat at the hands of Karachi Kings on Sunday.

During the Karachi game, the franchise was slapped with a five-run penalty over charges of changing the ball’s condition.

Qalandars batter Fakhar Zaman was also charged with a Level 3 offence under Article 2.14 of the Code of Conduct for Players and Player Support Personnel for allegedly breaching Article 41.3 of the playing conditions, which prohibits any action that alters the condition of the ball.

Lahore Qalandars batter Fakhar Zaman has been charged with a Level 3 offence under Article 2.14 of the Pakistan Cricket Board’s Code of Conduct for Players and Player Support Personnel for allegedly breaching Article 41.3 of the playing conditions, which prohibits any action that alters the condition of the ball.

“Fakhar denied the charge levelled against him during a disciplinary hearing led by the match referee Roshan Mahanama,” the PCB said.

“Another hearing is set to take place within the next 48 hours after which the match referee will share his verdict.”

The controversy unfolded shortly before the final over of Karachi Kings’ chase, when the on-field umpires examined the ball and ruled that its condition had been changed. As a result, a five-run penalty was imposed on the fielding side, reducing Karachi’s target to nine runs instead of 14.

The incident came after Fakhar, Lahore captain Shaheen Shah Afridi and fast bowler Haris Rauf were involved in a brief discussion, during which Fakhar and Rauf passed the ball between them. The umpire then approached Rauf and asked to see the ball before, following consultation with the square-leg umpire, awarding the penalty and ordering the ball to be changed.

The penalty proved decisive as Abbas Afridi struck a four and a six to seal a four-wicket Karachi win with three balls to spare.

Shaheen said Lahore would review the footage of the incident. “I don’t know about this [ball tampering], and we’ll discuss. Five runs penalty…but we can’t say anything. We will see,” said Shaheen at the post-match presentation.

Reflecting on the overall performance, Shaheen maintained that his side’s batting effort was respectable, pointing to the opposition’s struggle while chasing a modest target.

“It was a good game. We wanted to fight till the final ball, and the team tried. In both teams’ batting, it was the same. I feel our batting was fine, otherwise KK would’ve chased this in 15 overs,” the left-arm pacer stressed.

Fakhar could face a ban of one or two matches if found guilty of ball tampering for a first offence in the PSL.

Tottenham are pushing to convince Roberto De Zerbi to become their new manager before the end of the season, sources have told ESPN.

Spurs are looking for their third manager of the season after parting ways with Igor Tudor on Sunday.

Tudor, who replaced Thomas Frank last month, won just one of his seven games in charge as Spurs slipped closer to the Premier League relegation zone.

Tottenham currently sit 17th — just one point and one place above the bottom three — and sources say they are confident of appointing a successor to Tudor in good time before Spurs’ next game, a league clash at Sunderland on April 12.

Sources told ESPN that De Zerbi and USMNT boss Mauricio Pochettino are at the top of the club’s shortlist. However, Pochettino is committed to leading the USMNT into this summer’s World Cup while De Zerbi is out of work after leaving Marseille.

Initial talks had taken place between Spurs and De Zerbi with the Italian indicating he was open to joining the club at the end of the season if they stayed in the Premier League.

However, Tudor’s departure and Tottenham’s current malaise — they have not won a league game since Dec. 28 — have accelerated their need for a new head coach, and they are hoping to convince De Zerbi to join now.

Sources say the club’s preference is for a permanent appointment, but it remains to be seen whether the 46-year-old — who spent two years at Brighton up to 2024 — will agree to join Tottenham in their perilous state.

– How do you solve a problem like Tottenham? The to-do list for Igor Tudor’s replacement
– Igor Tudor joins list of shortest managerial reigns in Premier League era
– Igor Tudor’s 44-day tenure at Tottenham Hotspur: A timeline of failure

Alternatives include former Monaco boss Adi Hutter but sources have suggested Spurs would ideally like to appoint someone with Premier League experience.

Former Spurs managers Harry Redknapp, Tim Sherwood and Glenn Hoddle have all been linked with the role, as has ex-Tottenham striker Robbie Keane (who’s currently at Ferencvaros) and ex-Nottingham Forest, Burnley and Everton manager Sean Dyche.