The matter surrounding Pakistan pacer Naseem Shah escalated after the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) issued a show-cause notice, accusing him of “violating the terms of his central contract”. According to ESPNcricinfo, the entire matter pertains to the 23-year-old, who appears to be criticising the Chief Minister of Punjab, Maryam Nawaz. The pacer, who will be representing the Rawalpindi Pindiz in the Pakistan Super League (PSL) 2026 edition, appeared to take aim at Nawaz ahead of the opening game of the T20 tournament on Thursday.
The PSL 2026 is being played behind closed doors due to the Strait of Hormuz closure and the West Asia crisis. However, several dignitaries were spotted at the Gaddafi Stadium for the tournament opener between Lahore Qalandars and Hyderabad Kingsmen. Nawaz, the daughter of former Pakistan Prime Minister Nawab Sharif and the niece of current Prime Minister Shahbaz Sharif, was spotted arriving at the venue with a security entourage comprising several cars.
Naseem’s account then quote-tweeted the PCB media account’s post, asking, “Why is she treated like the Queen at Lord’s?” However, minutes later, the post was deleted. The pacer then said that his account was hacked and that he recovered it hours later.
The PCB has been rubbed the wrong way by Naseem’s tweets. A statement has been issued in which PCB said the speedster violated his contract, as well as media policy and regulations. The Pakistan board also stated that the final disciplinary action would be determined once Naseem responds.
However, the PCB did not specify which exact clause Naseem violated. According to ESPNCricinfo, it appears to do with the clause 2.23 of the PCB’s Code of Conduct, which 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’s strong policy
The last few years have seen the PCB taking a strong position against any sort of political expression. Last year, all-rounder Aamer Jamal was fined in excess of PKR 1 million for displaying a slogan showing support for the former prime minister and Pakistan captain Imran Khan.
Jamal had turned up for a training session during the Test series against England with ‘804’ written on the underside of his floppy hat. It is worth noting that this number is Imran’s prison number, who has been incarcerated since August 2023.
Coming back to Naseem, he is scheduled to play his first game of the tournament on Saturday, March 28, when the Pindiz face Peshawar Zalmi.
