New controversy in Pakistan cricket, Naseem Shah served with show-cause notice

A fresh disciplinary controversy has emerged in Pakistan cricket. The Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) is set to take action against young fast bowler Naseem Shah over a social media post. The board has already issued him a show-cause notice and said it will decide on further action after receiving his explanation.

The issue arose around the opening match of the Pakistan Super League (PSL), which was held at Lahore’s Gaddafi Stadium. Ahead of the match, PCB chairman Mohsin Naqvi had announced that games in this year’s tournament would be played without spectators due to a fuel shortage. However, the presence of VIPs at the match—particularly Punjab Chief Minister Maryam Nawaz—sparked discussion.

On the day of the match, Maryam Nawaz was seen entering the stadium under tight security and interacting with players from both teams. At that time, Naseem Shah quoted a post from the PCB’s official account and made a remark questioning why Maryam Nawaz was being treated “like the Queen at Lord’s.”

The post was deleted within minutes. Later, Naseem claimed in another post that his account had been hacked and that he had regained access.

However, the matter did not end there. Around 24 hours later, the PCB issued a statement saying that Naseem Shah appeared to have violated the terms of his central contract as well as the board’s media policy. Although the specific clause was not mentioned, the code of conduct prohibits public criticism of the board, its officials, or related individuals.

The PCB has recently taken a strict stance on political expression by its players. Earlier, all-rounder Aamer Jamal was fined a significant amount for displaying a message in support of former Prime Minister and ex-Pakistan captain Imran Khan.

Meanwhile, Naseem Shah is representing the new PSL franchise Rawalpindi Pindiz. They are scheduled to face Peshawar Zalmi on Saturday. It remains to be seen whether the ongoing controversy will have any impact on his performance.