Fast bowler Naseem Shah was fined PKR 20 million (USD 72,000) by the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) on Monday for a now-deleted inflammatory social media post criticizing Punjab Chief Minister Maryam Nawaz’s attendance at the PSL inaugural match during a regional crisis.
During the opening game of the 2026 Pakistan Super League (PSL), Maryam, the daughter of former prime minister Nawaz Sharif and the niece of current PM Shahbaz Sharif, had “queen” treatment at the Gaddafi Stadium, which was mockingly mentioned in the post.
“Why is she being treated like the Queen at Lords?” Naseem had posted in reference to Maryam.
In order to save petrol and comply with government austerity measures in light of the Gulf War, the PCB prohibited fans from attending PSL games in Lahore and Karachi. The PCB declared that Naseem had been found guilty by its disciplinary committee of breaking social media policies and central contract conditions.
On March 27, Naseem received a show-cause notice right after Maryam attended the PSL’s opening game at Gaddafi Stadium as the chief guest. The PCB rejected the allegation that the account was hacked when the message was quickly deleted.
According to the board, Naseem unconditionally apologized for his actions.
“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.”
The PCB has previously fired and blacklisted Naseem’s social media adviser.
