Naseem Shah has been accused by the PCB of violating the terms of his central contract after the deleted X-post criticized Punjab Chief Minister Maryam Nawaz. Former Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif’s daughter Maryam Nawaz was the chief guest at the opening match of the 2026 Pakistan Super League (PSL) at the Gaddafi Stadium in Lahore. In the opening match of PSL 2026, the newly formed team Hyderabad Kingsmen faced the defending champions Pakistan Qalandars. Before the match, PCB Chairman Mohsin Naqvi gave a warm welcome to Maryam who introduced her to the franchise owners participating in the tournament.
Pakistan fast bowler Naseem Shah has sparked controversy even before taking to the field in PSL 2026 where he will represent Rawalpindi Pindies. The fast bowler sparked controversy by posting a sarcastic comment about Maryam Nawaz on the first day of the tournamentNaseem, who represented Pakistan in all formats and took 152 international wickets, has been issued a show cause notice by the board. According to ESPNCricinfo, a statement from the PCB said that the disciplinary action will be decided after hearing from Naseem. Naseem represents Rawalpindi Pindies, one of the two new PSL franchises. Last week, PCB chairman Mohsin Naqvi announced that the tournament would be held without fans in the stadium due to the closure of the Strait of Hormuz and the need to conserve fuel following the West Asian crisis.“Why is she treated like a queen at Lord’s?”, Naseem tweeted, referring to a post from PCB’s media account. A few minutes later, the post was deleted and replaced by another post claiming that the fast bowler’s account had been hacked and eventually recovered by him. However, the PCB has now released a statement saying that Naseem has violated the terms of his central contract as well as media policy and regulations. Although the PCB did not specify which clause was breached, it appears to be clause 2.23 of the PCB’s Code of Conduct, which states that “public criticism of, or inappropriate comment on, the Board, any of its officials or sponsors or policies, the ICC or any of its officials or sponsors, including players, personnel and match players. Referees, regardless of when such criticism or inappropriate comment is made”. The PCB has recently cracked down on any political expression by its players, with all-rounder Amir Jamal fined PKR 1 million (about US$4,000) for chanting in support of former Pakistan Prime Minister and 1992 World Cup-winning captain Imran Khan. The all-rounder wrote “804” on the bottom of his floppy hat for a practice session during the home Test against England last year. Notably, “804” is the prison number for Imran, who has been in jail since August 2023, and the use of the number has been a popular way for his supporters to show their support for Imran. Naseem Shah will be in action against Peshawar Zalmi today.
