Pakistani Fast Bowler Naseem Shah Slapped with Rs 20m fine after Social Media Post about CM Punjab Maryam

LAHORE: The Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) on Monday imposed a fine of Rs 20 million on fast bowler Naseem Shah for allegedly breaching several clauses of his central contract by posting a controversial tweet, which he deleted instantly, claiming that his account had been compromised.

The PCB has announced the outcomes of disciplinary committee proceedings pertaining to breaches of various clauses of Naseem Shah's central contract and the board's social media guidelines.

The PCB had issued a show-cause notice dated 27th March 2026 outlining the violations and sought a response from Naseem. A personal hearing was then held by a three-member disciplinary committee on 30th March 2025 after Naseem's reply had been received and reviewed.

Pursuant to the hearing and evaluation of Naseem's submissions, the Committee has determined as follows: Whilst noting the unconditional apology tendered, Naseem is found to have breached various clauses of his central contract and a fine of Rs20 million has been imposed.

It was noted that Naseem's social media adviser has already been terminated by him and shall be blacklisted by the PCB from associating with any player falling under the PCB's jurisdiction.

The PCB remains committed to upholding professional standards, contractual obligations and the integrity of the game. Later, in a post on X, Naseem said, “A recent post from my account was made by my management team and does not reflect my views.”

He said he took “full responsibility for my platform” and had implemented the “necessary changes to ensure this does not happen again”.

“I sincerely apologise to everyone affected by this misuse of my platform,” he said. It is pertinent to mention here that the controversy stemmed from the opening ceremony of the ongoing Pakistan Super League (PSL) 11 at the Gaddafi Stadium here on Thursday, which Punjab Chief Minister Maryam Nawaz graced as the guest of honour.

During the event, Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) Chairman Mohsin Naqvi welcomed the chief minister and introduced her to the franchise owners participating in the tournament.

She extended her best wishes to all competing teams. The chief minister was also introduced to the players from both sides ahead of the curtain-raiser.

Shortly afterwards, a post from Naseem’s X account—saying, ‘Why is she treated like the Queen at Lord’s?’—drew significant attention. The post was a quote retweet of a PCB media update showing Chairman Naqvi greeting the Chief Minister.

His comment quickly sparked widespread engagement across social media, generating lively debate and diverse opinions among fans and the cricketing community.

Addressing the controversy, the right-arm pacer had moved to reassure followers that the post was not intentional, explaining that his account had been hacked. "This account of Naseem was recently hacked but now recovered successfully," he wrote, clarifying that the issue was the result of a security breach rather than a personal statement from the player.