Islamabad United opener Colin Munro and Multan Sultans captain Mohammad Rizwan have both been fined 30% of their match fees for breaching Level 2 of the Pakistan Super League's code of conduct during Wednesday's match between their respective teams. The penalties were handed out for “personal abuse of a player, player support personnel, umpire or match referee” after a heated exchange on the field.
The incident unfolded during the second innings when Munro made a gesture toward Multan bowler Iftikhar Ahmed, appearing to accuse him of using an illegal bowling action. Iftikhar, visibly upset, approached square-leg umpire Chris Brown to voice his complaint. Rizwan, reacting strongly to Munro’s insinuation, confronted the Islamabad batter in a fiery exchange.
While Munro was not officially charged for the specific "chucking" accusation, it is understood that match referee Ali Naqvi and the PCB considered the context of the gesture when deciding on the penalties. Both players were found to have crossed the threshold from aggressive behavior—typically a Level 1 offense—into personal abuse, warranting the higher-level charge.
There has been no report from the umpires regarding Iftikhar’s action, which has never previously been questioned in his professional career.
This isn’t the first time a Pakistan bowler has faced direct accusations from a batter. Marcus Stoinis famously made a similar gesture toward Mohammad Hasnain in The Hundred shortly after Hasnain returned from a suspension for an illegal action. In 2018, Ross Taylor gestured about Mohammad Hafeez’s action during a game, drawing sharp criticism from then-Pakistan captain Sarfaraz Ahmed, who called it “disgraceful.”
Despite the drama, Islamabad United emerged victorious in the match, winning by seven wickets. Munro contributed 45 runs off 28 balls before falling to a catch by Iftikhar off Michael Bracewell’s bowling.
Separately, Karachi Kings’ Aamer Jamal was fined 5% of his match fee for a Level 1 offense after giving Peshawar Zalmi’s Hussain Talat a send-off upon dismissing him.
All three players—Munro, Rizwan, and Jamal—accepted the charges and pleaded guilty.