By Staff Reporter
LAHORE Fast bowler Naseem Shah was on Monday handed a Rs20 million fine by the Pakistan Cricket Board for breaching multiple clauses of his central contract after a social media post that criticised Punjab Chief Minister Maryam Nawaz.
The penalty follows a show-cause notice issued to the 22-year-old fast bowler last week, which accused him of violating the terms of his central contract as well as the board’s media policy and regulations. The notice required him to respond within a stipulated period.
The episode centres on a now-deleted reply posted from Naseem’s verified X account to a message from the PCB’s own media handle. The cricketer’s response questioned why Maryam Nawaz – the chief guest at the opening match of the Pakistan Super League at Lahore’s Gaddafi Stadium – was “treated like the Queen at Lord’s”.
The comment was posted at a time when PSL matches are being played behind closed doors in line with the government’s austerity measures, introduced amid an oil crisis linked to the US-Israel war on Iran. Minutes after the post appeared it was removed and replaced with a statement claiming Naseem’s account had been hacked and subsequently recovered.
A three-member disciplinary committee convened by the PCB held a personal hearing after reviewing Naseem’s written reply to the show-cause notice. In a statement released on Monday the board said that, while the player had offered an unconditional apology, the committee had determined he had breached “various clauses of his central contract”. The PCB confirmed the Rs20m fine and added that Naseem’s social media adviser had already been terminated by the player and would be blacklisted by the board from any future association with players under its jurisdiction. “The PCB remains committed to upholding professional standards, contractual obligations and the integrity of the game,” the statement said.
In a subsequent post on X, Naseem himself sought to draw a line under the affair. “A recent post from my account was made by my management team and does not reflect my views,” he wrote. “I take full responsibility for my platform and have implemented the necessary changes to ensure this does not happen again. I sincerely apologise to everyone affected by this misuse of my platform.”
The board’s code of conduct, specifically clause 2.23, prohibits any “public criticism of, or inappropriate comment in relation to the board, any of its officials or sponsors or policies, the International Cricket Council or any of its officers or sponsors, player, player support personnel or match officials including umpires and match referees, irrespective of when such criticism or inappropriate comment is made”.
The fine has already drawn political criticism. The National Dialogue Committee, formed by former leaders of Imran Khan’s Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf party, condemned the PCB’s initial show-cause notice. In a statement issued on Saturday the committee said: “While we recognise the right of any organisation to uphold its codes of conduct, we assert that the PCB’s action in this instance represents a dangerous overreach that undermines a fundamental pillar of democracy: the right to peaceful, critical expression.”
Maryam Nawaz, daughter of three-time prime minister Nawaz Sharif and a senior figure in the ruling Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz, has been a visible presence at PSL fixtures this season. Naseem, one of Pakistan’s most promising fast bowlers and a central contract holder, has previously been praised by the board for his on-field performances but now finds himself facing one of the heaviest financial penalties imposed on a Pakistan international for an off-field matter.The PCB has not commented further on the specifics of the deleted post or the precise clauses breached beyond the general reference to the central contract. Naseem, who was not immediately available for further comment beyond his X statement, remains available for selection.
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