The Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) on Monday imposed a PKR 20 million (USD 72,000) fine on fast bowler Naseem Shah for a now-deleted controversial social media post that criticised Punjab Chief Minister Maryam Nawaz’s presence at the PSL opening game during an ongoing regional crisis.
The post, made during the first match of the 2026 Pakistan Super League (PSL), sarcastically commented on the “queen” treatment given to Maryam, who is the daughter of former prime minister Nawaz Sharif and niece of incumbent PM Shahbaz Sharif, at the Gaddafi Stadium.
“Why is she being treated like the Queen at Lords?” Naseem had posted in reference to Maryam.
This was after the PCB banned fans from attending the PSL matches in Lahore and Karachi to conserve fuel and adhere to government austerity measures in view of the Gulf war.
The PCB announced that its disciplinary committee had found Naseem guilty of breaching clauses of his central contract and violating social media guidelines.
Naseem was issued a show-cause notice on March 27, immediately after Maryam visited the Gaddafi Stadium as the chief guest for the opening match of PSL.
The tweet was quickly deleted, and it was claimed the account was hacked, but the PCB did not accept this explanation.
The board said that Naseem had issued an unconditional apology for his behaviour.
“Naseem’s reply was reviewed by the committee, and after evaluating everything, it has been determined that Naseem is found to have breached various clauses of his central contract, and a fine of PKR 2 crore has been imposed.”
Naseem’s social media adviser has already been terminated and blacklisted by the PCB.
Tweet on Maryam Nawaz costs cricketer Naseem Shah 20 million Pak rupees
