The Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) on Monday imposed a Rs. 20 million fine on player Naseem Shah for violating various clauses of his central contract as well as social media guidelines for cricketers.
The cricketing body had issued a show-cause notice to Shah on March 27, outlining his violations and seeking a response. A three-member disciplinary committee subsequently held a hearing on March 30 and reviewed Shah’s response.
In a statement, the committee said it had noted Shah’s unconditional apology for content posted on his X account, but found he nevertheless breached various clauses of his central contract. It said Shah’s social media adviser had been terminated from service, adding he would also be blacklisted by the PCB from associating with any player falling under its jurisdiction.
It further said the PCB remains committed to upholding professional standards, contractual obligations and the integrity of the game.
Shah’s account posted the contentious post on March 26 with regards to the opening ceremony of the ongoing Pakistan Super League 11 at Gaddafi Stadium in Lahore. Sharing a video of the event, showing PCB Chairman Mohsin Naqvi welcoming Punjab Chief Minister Maryam Nawaz as guest of honor, Shah had questioned why she was treated to such protocol.
The comment, swiftly deleted, quickly found support among political opponents of Nawaz and derision from her supporters. After deleting the post, Shah attempted to claim his account was hacked and he had not intended to tweet the post. “This account of Naseem was recently hacked but now recovered successfully,” it said. In a later post, he blamed the post on his management team and took fully responsibility for it, maintaining it would not happen again.
“I sincerely apologize to everyone affected by this misuse of my platform,” he added.