Islamabad United opener Colin Munro and Multan Sultans captain Mohammad Rizwan have both been fined 30% of their match fees after being found guilty of Level 2 breaches of the PSL Code of Conduct during a heated clash between their teams on Wednesday. The penalties relate to an incident involving "personal abuse of a player, support staff, umpire, or match official."

The confrontation began in the second innings when Munro made a provocative gesture towards Sultans bowler Iftikhar Ahmed, suggesting his bowling action was illegal. Iftikhar, visibly upset, approached square-leg umpire Chris Brown to register his displeasure. The situation escalated when Rizwan stepped in and had a fiery exchange with Munro, visibly frustrated by the accusation against his bowler.

Although the official charge against Munro didn’t specifically mention his insinuation about Iftikhar’s bowling action, sources told that match referee Ali Naqvi and the PCB considered the full context of the incident before deciding on the sanctions. Both Munro and Rizwan were found to have gone beyond aggressive on-field behavior into the realm of personal abuse, justifying the more serious Level 2 charge.

It’s worth noting that Iftikhar’s action has never been reported in his career, and no umpire flagged it during the match. However, this isn’t the first time a Pakistani bowler has been publicly accused of an illegal action by an opposing batter.