The Abu Dhabi T10 League is already under severe scrutiny due to past corruption scandals.
The Abu Dhabi T10 League hogged the headlines for all the wrong reasons after UAE pacer Hazrat Bilal bowled a massive front-foot no-ball during the match between Morrisville Samp Army and New York Strikers on Friday (November 22).
The incident triggered widespread speculation of spot-fixing, with concerns mounting over the integrity of the tournament.
Bilal, representing Morrisville Samp Army, came into bowl the fourth over with New York Strikers struggling at 32-2 in the chase of 136.
After a steady start to the over, Bilal’s no-ball on the fifth delivery raised eyebrows. The delivery saw him overstep by more than a foot, which left his teammates, including Faf du Plessis and Reece Topley, in splits.
The error was so glaring that it also drew reactions from former Australian opener David Warner and ex-India cricketer Aakash Chopra.
Warner shared a picture of the episode on his 'X' handle and asked, “The @AbudhabiT10 league was this a free hit??”
On the other hand, Chopra posted a video of the incident with screaming face emoji in the caption.
The no-ball episode comes at a time when the Abu Dhabi T10 League is under severe scrutiny due to past corruption scandals. Earlier this year, the ICC imposed bans on quite a few individuals associated with the league.
Pune Devils batting coach Ashar Zaidi was handed a five-year ban for his role in corrupt activities during the 2021 edition, including soliciting others to violate anti-corruption codes. Team owners Parag Sanghavi and Krishan Kumar Choudhary were also banned for two years each for failing to report corrupt approaches.