PCB waives off 50% match fee fine imposed on Azam Khan for displaying Palestine flag
Karachi: Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) on Tuesday completely waived off the 50 per cent match fee fine it had imposed on Azam Khan for displaying the Palestine flag on his bat during the ongoing National T20 Championships here.
Azam, the son of former Pakistan captain Moin Khan, was fined 50 per cent of his match fee by the PCB match referee two days back after he refused to remove the Palestine flag sticker from his bat.
The wicketkeeper-batter was found to have violated Article 2.4 of the PCB Code of Conduct For Players and Players Support Personnel for repeated failure to comply with the instruction or directive of an umpire during a Match.
The PCB did not give any reason for completely waiving off the fine nor did it explain whether Azam had agreed to take off the sticker from his bat for the remaining matches of the tournament.
''Azam Khan's 50 per cent fine imposed by match officials has been reviewed and waived off by the Pakistan Cricket Board,'' the PCB said in a brief release.
''The Karachi Whites wicketkeeper-batter was fined 50 per cent of his match fee for being found guilty of committing a level-I offence during his side’s National T20 Cup 2023-24 match against Lahore Blues at National Bank Stadium, Karachi.'' As per ICC rules, players and team officials are not permitted to wear, display or otherwise convey personal messages on their equipment unless approved in advance by both player or team official’s cricket association and PCB Cricket Operations Department.
The fine led to a furore on social media with cricket fans and people criticising the Board for imposing the fine.
The match in which Azam was fined was televised live. He was playing for the Karachi Whites against Lahore Blues.
Azam has not played for the national team since 2021 but is a well-known figure in Pakistan cricket circles due to his big hitting abilities in T20 format and is also a regular on the franchise cricket circuits worldwide.
During the recent ODI World Cup in India, Pakistan's wicketkeeper-batter Muhammad Rizwan had also tweeted in support of the Palestine people in Gaza but escaped any fine from the ICC which said it was his personal opinion.
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'The Ba**ds of Bollywood’ mirrors my life, damages my reputation: Sameer Wankhede tells Delhi HC
New Delhi: IRS officer Sameer Wankhede has submitted his reply to the Delhi High Court in the defamation case he filed against Red Chillies Entertainment, the production company owned by actor Shah Rukh Khan. The case pertains to the recently released series The Ba**ds of Bollywood*, which Wankhede claims has defamed him.
In his statement to the court, Wankhede asserted that the show’s portrayal of a police officer is clearly based on him and has caused serious harm to his public image. He cited four key reasons supporting his claim.
First, he said the character in question bears physical similarities to him, including facial and body features. Second, he noted that the character’s working style and mannerisms closely resemble his own.
Third, Wankhede highlighted that the officer in the show is depicted making a high-profile arrest involving a major film personality, which he said directly mirrors his own involvement in the Aryan Khan drug case.
Fourth, he pointed out that the character frequently uses the phrase “Satyameva Jayate,” a motto he himself had used during media interactions in the course of that investigation. He argued that using the national motto in such a context cannot be dismissed as creative expression or humour.
Wankhede also referred to an interview in which Aryan Khan allegedly admitted that the show was “inspired by some real events.” This, he said, contradicts Red Chillies Entertainment’s claim that The Ba**ds of Bollywood* is purely fictional.
He further alleged that the tone and intent of the series indicate personal and institutional vendetta, aimed at discrediting and defaming him rather than engaging in artistic storytelling.
Wankhede informed the court that the fallout from the show has affected his family, with his wife and sister receiving abusive and vulgar messages online.
Rejecting Red Chillies’ argument that he is a “thin-skinned” officer, Wankhede said that a public servant cannot be expected to tolerate false and damaging portrayals simply because of his position. He emphasized that his legal action seeks to protect the constitutional rights and dignity of both himself and his family.
