Iftikhar Ahmed and Jason Roy had to be separated during a confrontation following the England international’s dismissal in a Pakistan Super League game, with Iftikhar later fined for his involvement.
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Both sides came into the game assured of a playoff spot, but knowing that victory would guarantee a place in the top two. Multan Sultans batted first and set 186 to win, with Mohammad Rizwan making a half-century.
Quetta Gladiators struggled early in reply, with Roy falling to the second ball of the third over, pinned lbw by David Willey. He and Iftikhar exchanged words immediately following the dismissal.
As the review timer ticked to zero, Roy and Iftikhar continued to argue, and Rizwan, the Multan Sultans captain, had to step in to keep the two players apart. Roy eventually left the field, with his dismissal triggering a slide to 47-4. Then, from 91-5, Quetta Gladiators collapsed again to 106 all out, finishing fourth on the points table.
Iftikhar has since been fined five per cent of his match fee by the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB). “Iftikhar was found to have violated Article 2.5 of the HBL PSL Code of Conduct, which reads as: ‘Using language, actions or gestures which disparage or which could provoke an aggressive reaction from a batter upon his/her dismissal during a match’,” read a statement. “The incident happened in the third over of Quetta Gladiators’ batting, when Iftikhar used inappropriate language towards the batter who was dismissed.”
Iftikhar pleaded guilty to the charges and accepted the sanctions.
Watch the Iftikhar-Roy confrontation below:
Heated moment between Jason Roy and Iftikhar Ahmed during a PSL match.#PSL2024pic.twitter.com/ZK5GaSuzV8
— Don Cricket 🏏 (@doncricket_) March 13, 2024
