Cape Town: South Africa leg-spinner Imran Tahir has been sanctioned by the International Cricket Council after paying tribute to late Pakistani pop-star Junaid Jamshed in a T20 International against Sri Lanka. After trapping Asela Gunaratne lbw in the second T20I at the Wanderers on Sunday, Tahir sprinted off in trademark style before lifting his playing shirt to reveal a green undershirt featuring a prominent portrait of Jamshed.
The Lahore-born Tahir was later reprimanded by the international governing body for “displaying a personal message without seeking prior approval”, contravening ICC clothing regulations. Tahir admitted the offence and accepted the ICC’s sanction, forgoing the need for a formal hearing. Jamshed was the former frontman of pioneering Pakistani rock band Vital Signs from the 1980s and 1990s, before becoming a religious preacher.
In December, Jamshed was on board a Pakistan Airlines flight from Chitral to Islamabad that crashed and killed all 42 passengers. Tahir played first-class cricket in Pakistan before marrying a South African in 2006, qualifying for citizenship in 2011 and has since gone on to represent the Proteas more than 100 times in all formats. He picked up 1-14 in the second T20 against Sri Lanka and 3-18 in the series decider on Wednesday, where the tourists claimed their first-ever series victory in South Africa.
