Pakistan batsman Ahmed Shehzad in hot water for religious comments

SHEHZAD IN HOT WATER......ISLAMABAD, October 6: The Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) says batsman Ahmed Shehzad has breached his central contract for making religious comments to Sri Lanka player Tillakaratne Dilshan and he could face disciplinary action.

Chairman Shaharyar Khan says on Friday that Shehzad's contract clearly states "you will not be involved in any political or religious discussion with others".

"Shehzad has violated this clause on evidence of what we have seen in the video footage of the incident," Khan said.

Shehzad was caught on camera last Saturday telling Dilshan "if you are a non-Muslim and you turn Muslim, no matter whatever you do in your life, straight to heaven."

Dilshan's reply was not audible, and Shehzad went on to say, "Then be ready for the fire."

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They were walking back to the dressing room after Sri Lanka won the third and deciding one-day international. Earlier, Shehzad had been summoned to PCB headquarters in Lahore and asked about his comments.

"Shehzad has informed the PCB that it was his personal chat with Dilshan, and there was nothing more to it," PCB General Manager Media Agha Akbar had said. "What we understand is that no Sri Lanka Cricket official or our own manager lodged any complaint."

Dilshan was born to a Muslim father and a Buddhist mother and was known as Tuwan Mohamed Dilshan.

He shed his Muslim name shortly after his international debut in 1999 and took up the name Tillakaratne Mudiyanselage Dilshan with an ethnic Sinhalese-Buddhist identity.