Pakistan star Naseem Shah found himself in a tough spot as soon as he expressed his political views on social media, criticizing the Punjab Chief Minister, Maryam Nawaz. According to the latest media reports, the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) has fined fast bowler Naseem Shah PKR 20 million for the controversial social media post.
The cricketer removed the social media post soon after it came into the public domain, but by the time it attracted a significant amount of attention, including the attention of the PCB, which is led by Mohsin Naqvi, who is also an interior minister of the government of Pakistan.
Why is there controversy around Naseem Shah
Ahead of the Pakistan Super League 2026 season, Naqvi said that, due to limited fuel resources and conflicts in Middle Eastern countries, the PSL 2026 matches will be held without spectators.
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However, for the opening match of the season, there were some notable guests in the stadium to witness the Lahore Qalandars vs Hyderabad Kingsmen at the Gaddafi Stadium in Lahore.
Punjab Chief Minister Maryam Nawaz was among the notable guests in the gallery to watch the match live.
Maryam interacted with players of both teams as well. She came to the ground with a heavy set of protocols, which might have annoyed Naseem Shah very much. In a sense of criticizing the top policy of the nation, the fast bowler of Pakistan wrote on his ‘X’ post, “Why is she treated like the queen at Lord’s?”
Naseem removed the post
As soon as he realized the act post could cause severe backlashes, he removed it from its timeline, citing that his profile had been hacked for a while. His excuses did not melt the ice as the Pakistan Cricket Board soon issued a statement, accusing the star pacer of breaching the code of conduct.
It is worth mentioning that Maryam Nawaz is the daughter of former Pakistan Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif and the niece of current Prime Minister Shahbaz Sharif.
According to an ESPN report, “It appears to do with clause 2.23 of the PCB’s code of conduct. It states that any “public criticism of, or inappropriate comment in relation to the Board, any of its officials or sponsors or policies, the ICC 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” is not permitted.”
PCB issued strict actions against Naseen Shah
According to the latest updates regarding the controversial act of Naseem Shah, the cricket governing board of Pakistan has fined Naseem Shah PKR 2 crore for breaching the central contract and social media guidelines. It is further claimed that the accused pacer has made an unconditional apology after the disciplinary proceedings.
Additionally, taking a step further, and to prevent any unnecessary stance on social media in the future, Naseem Shah’s social media adviser has been terminated and will be blacklisted from working with any contracted player, according to the latest reports.
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