Bans will not be overturned: KCCA

Secretary toughens up after report of infighting among Dolphins players.

KARACHI: Bans imposed on three Karachi Dolphins players will remain in place and an appeal will not be entertained, vowed Karachi City Cricket Association (KCCA) Secretary Ijaz Farooqui.

The KCCA imposed a sanction of one year on Sohail Khan, extending to all formats of the game, while Khalid Latif and Fawad Alam were also banned for 12 months but their punishment is limited to just the T20 format.

The sanctions were announced after the trio was found guilty through a report of infighting that took place among the Dolphins team members during the Faysal Bank Super-Eight T20 tournament. Abusive language was exchanged among the players, while Karachi coach Tauseef Ahmed was at the receiving end as well.

KCCA secretary Farooqui said an example needed to be made out of the three players so similar incidents could be avoided. “We want to set a strong example,” Farooqui told The Express Tribune.

“We will not overturn these bans and we won’t hear any appeals because we have enough evidence against these players. I hope our stance would prove beneficial in the years to come and players will understand that they are not bigger than the game and team.”

Dolphins crashed out of the event in the group stage after losing two of their three matches that eventually also led to Karachi chief selector Rashid Latif resigning from the post.

In the match against Bahawalpur Stags, Fawad threw his bat and helmet in the dugout and abused the management after being demoted to number six. At the end of the match, Sohail was also heard abusing the coach for not including him in the playing-eleven earlier in the tournament.

Published in The Express Tribune, April 20^th, 2013.