PCB fines Naseem Shah 72,000 dollar

Pakistan’s star fast bowler Naseem Shah has been fined $72,000 by the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) over a social media post. He faced the penalty after making a critical remark about a politician’s presence at the opening match of the Pakistan Super League (PSL).

The PSL began last week behind closed doors. At the opening match at Lahore’s Gaddafi Stadium, Punjab Chief Minister Maryam Nawaz, along with other dignitaries, was present and introduced to players and franchise officials before the game.

Reacting to this, Naseem Shah questioned in a social media post, “Why is she being treated like the queen at Lord’s?” He later deleted the post and claimed that his account had been hacked.

After receiving a show-cause notice from the PCB, Naseem issued an unconditional apology and appeared before a three-member disciplinary committee in Lahore on Monday. The board stated that he had violated multiple clauses of his central contract as well as media regulations.

The PCB also confirmed that Naseem has already dismissed his social media adviser, who has now been blacklisted from working with any player under the board’s jurisdiction in the future.

Meanwhile, the ongoing conflict in the Middle East has also impacted the PSL. Due to security and economic concerns, fans have been barred from attending matches, and the number of venues has been reduced to Lahore and Karachi. The government has advised limiting travel as fuel prices have surged.

A similar incident occurred last year when all-rounder Aamer Jamal was fined.

Naseem Shah is currently playing for the new franchise Rawalpindi Pindiz. In a recent match, he returned figures of 0 for 51 in a five-wicket loss to Peshawar Zalmi.

So far in international cricket, the right-arm fast bowler has taken a total of 152 wickets in 20 Tests, 34 ODIs, and 37 T20Is.