Naseem Shah faces Pakistan’s largest-ever cricket fine

Dubai: Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) has slapped Naseem Shah with a record-breaking PKR 20 million fine for posting tweets that were found to be in violation of his central contract.

The board announced that its disciplinary committee found Shah in violation of contract terms and for irresponsible behavior on social media.

He received a show-cause notice soon after Pakistan Punjab’s Chief Minister Maryam Nawaz was present at the opening match of the Pakistan Super League (PSL) at Lahore’s Gaddafi Stadium.

Nawaz attended as the chief guest and was presented to the officials of the eight franchises and the players ahead of the tournament’s opening match between Lahore Qalandars and Hyderabad Kingsmen.

Shah later posted on X, "Why is she treated like the queen at Lord’s?" in reference to her presence at the venue. He deleted the post soon after and claimed that his account had been hacked.

PCB rejected Shah’s hacked claims over his now-deleted tweet, aimed to criticise Punjab’s chief minister, with the cricket board ordering the pacer pay a fine which is the largest fine imposed on anyone in the country's cricket history.

A PCB statement said a three-member disciplinary committee was held, where Shah apologised for the actions and sacked his social media manager.

The PCB also stated that the same manager is now blacklisted by the board, restricting him from associating with any other player.

"It was noted that Naseem Shah’s social media adviser has already been terminated by Naseem and shall be blacklisted by the PCB from associating with any player falling under the PCB’s jurisdiction," the board said.

This move comes amid a PSL campaign disrupted by broader regional problems.

Because of the conflict involving Iran, fans have been barred from attending matches, and the number of host cities has been cut from six to just two, Lahore and Karachi.

At the same time, rising fuel costs have prompted the government to recommend people limit travel and work from home as a cost‑saving measure.

Shah is representing Rawalpindi Pindiz and recorded figures of 0 for 51 in a five-wicket defeat to Peshawar Zalmi.

The right-arm fast bowler has claimed 152 wickets for Pakistan across all formats, including 20 in Tests, 34 in ODIs, and 37 in T20 internationals.