Munro, Rizwan fined after chucking gesture sparks altercation

Islamabad United opener Colin Munro and Multan Sultans captain Mohammad Rizwan have been found guilty of Level 2 breaches of the PSL code of conduct, and docked 30% of their match fees for the game between the two sides on Wednesday. The players were found guilty of a clause pertaining to "personal abuse of a player, player support personnel, umpire or match referee" after tempers flared following an interaction between Munro and Sultans bowler Iftikhar Ahmed.

The incident, which occurred in the second innings, saw Munro miming a gesture at the bowler, Iftikhar, implying he was bowling with an illegal action. Iftikhar was agitated by Munro's accusation, and went to complain to square-leg umpire Chris Brown. Rizwan, the Sultans captain, was clearly incensed, and had a heated exchange with Munro.

While the PCB charge levelled against Munro does not include his accusation against Iftikhar, ESPNcricinfo understands match referee Ali Naqvi and the board took it into consideration before applying penalties. Both Munro and Rizwan were deemed to have crossed over from merely aggressive actions or behaviour, which would lead to a Level 1 charge, into outright abuse, and as a result more serious charges were laid and sanctions imposed.

No umpire reported Iftikhar's bowling action, which has never been reported in his career. However, it is not the first time a Pakistan bowler has been directly accused of illegal delivery by an opposition batter.

Mohammad Hasnain was accused of chucking by Marcus Stoinis when the bowler got him out during a Hundred contest; Hasnain had only recently returned from suspension after having his action cleared. In 2018, New Zealand batter Ross Taylor appeared to indicate to the umpire that Mohammad Hafeez - who had previously been banned three times for bowling with an illegal action - was bowling with a bent arm. It prompted the then Pakistan captain Sarfaraz Ahmed to term Taylor's behaviour "disgraceful".

Islamabad United ultimately won Wednesday's game by seven wickets, with Munro scoring 45 off 28 balls before being caught by Iftikhar off Michael Bracewell's bowling.

Karachi Kings' Aamer Jamal, meanwhile, was fined 5% of his match fee for a Level 1 breach after being found guilty of giving Peshawar Zalmi batter Hussain Talat a send-off after dismissing him.

Munro, Rizwan and Jamal accepted the charges and pleaded guilty to them.