Ball-tampering, an ever-evolving debate of cricket, continues to dominate discussion and controversies across all leagues from international to domestic stages. Players have always found innovative ways to manipulate the condition of the ball to gain an unfair advantage on the field, and we highlight seven major ball-tampering incidents in the history of cricket, including the latest incident in the PSL 2026 with Fakhar Zaman. Top 7 Ball-Tampering Incidents That Shook Cricket History 1. 2000 - Waqar Younis banned for Ball Tampering The first ever player to be banned in the history of cricket for ball-tampering, Waqar Younis was charged during a triangular one-day series in Sri Lanka against South Africa. He was asked to leave the ground as a penalty, and was fined 50% of his match fee. This was a turning point in the approach taken towards ball-tampering by the ICC. Also Read | Why Only the Ambanis Sit on Sofas Near the IPL Boundary? 2. 2001 - Sachin Tendulkar accused of ball-tampering India's master batsman Sachin Tendulkar was accused of scuffing the seam while playing against South Africa in the second test. He was initially given a one-match ban by match referee Mike Denness. However, after the protests from the Indian team, the ICC had decided to clear him by saying that he had merely been trying to remove dirt from the ball. 3. 2004 - Rahul Dravid fined in Brisbane The ever reliable Rahul Dravid found himself on the wrong side of the umpire's eyes in a day-night one-day international against Zimbabwe in Brisbane, where he was seen rubbing a cough lozenge on the shiny side of the ball. He was penalized by the match referee, who charged him 50% of his match fee. Also Read | Top 5 Overseas Players with Most IPL Matches, Ft. Sunil Narine 4. 2010 - Shahid Afridi bitten the ball on the field of play This is being called ball tampering, but what Fakhar Zaman did doesn’t seem like ball tampering to me. pic.twitter.com/289EL9W6wH — 𝑨𝒎𝒊𝒓 (@Khanu_3) March 29, 2026 It had not been long since Afridi's antics at the Oval, when a similar incident was seen from Pakistan's prolific all-rounder, who was caught by the cameras of the world and was banned for two T20 international matches and was fined 100% of his match fee, due to the unsportsman-like behavior of tampering with the ball in the middle of the game by biting. 5. 2016 - Faf du Plessis fined for using Mint Saliva A win for SEN listeners. Alerted us to Faf's blatant ball tampering with mints & provided video. IOC investigating pic.twitter.com/lTjwQTN7kF — Jon Ralph (@RalphyHeraldSun) November 16, 2016 South Africa's captain Faf du Plessis, also found himself in a similar kind of situation. During a test match against Australia in Hobart, Faf du Plessis was observed using saliva from a mint which he had been chewing on the ball. He was found guilty by the ICC, and was fined 100% of his match fee for ball-tampering. The incident added a bit of history to his profile after the same event had occurred in 2013 as well. Also Read | Top 5 Players With Most Sixes in PSL History 6. 2018 - Australian ball tampering scandal: Steve Smith & Cameron Bancroft 🗓️ #OnThisDay in 2018: The day Australians upset Mother Cricket. 💔🟨The Cape Town Test completely shook the sport to its core. Cameras caught Cameron Bancroft attempting to hide yellow sandpaper in his trousers, blowing the lid off the infamous "Sandpaper Gate" scandal.The… pic.twitter.com/tIqhd8VLJ6 — The Cricket Katha (@TheCricketKatha) March 24, 2026 In a one of the most infamous scandals to hit the world of cricket, both Australian players Steve Smith and Cameron Bancroft were seen at Cape Town during a Test match against South Africa trying to illegally change the condition of the ball. Smith admitted to the team's pre-plan of tampering with the ball while Bancroft was found to be using a yellow object in his pockets. The former captain was fined 100% of his match fee and banned from one Test, while the latter was banned for four games and fined 75% of his match fee. 7. 2026 - Fakhar-Shaheen in PSL ball-tampering controversy 🚨 BALL TAMPERING BY LAHORE QALANDARS 🚨- Fakhar Zaman, Shaheen Shah Afridi, and Haris Rauf came together before the last over, and Fakhar can be clearly seen doing unusual activity with the ball.- Umpire took notice of it and gave 5 runs penalty. 🤯pic.twitter.com/Y9WHuoRDRY — Rayham. (@RayhamUnplugged) March 29, 2026 Fakhar Zaman and Shaheen Afridi were spotted in a clash between Lahore Qalandars and Karachi Kings in PSL 2026 while they were trying to tamper with the condition of the ball. The Qalandars were awarded a penalty by the umpires, and the match ended with Karachi Kings winning by 4 wickets. Fakhar Zaman denies the charges against him and the situation has caused a stir about the legitimacy of the competition. The boards across the globe have had to impose stricter regulations over the manipulation of the ball and with newer technology used in cricket, players are bound to think twice before undertaking such an offense. All these incidents will always remain a part of cricket's history as they define the fine line between being competitive and corrupt.