Naseem Shah has been accused by the PCB of violating the terms of his central contract after a deleted X post criticizing Punjab Chief Minister Maryam Nawaz surfaced. Maryam Nawaz, daughter of former Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif, was the guest of honor at the opening match of the 2026 Pakistan Super League (PSL) at the Gaddafi Stadium in Lahore.
The new Hyderabad Kingsmen faced defending champions Pakistan Qalandars in the opening match of the PSL 2026 tournament.
Before the match, Maryam was given a warm welcome by PCB Chairman Mohsin Naqvi who introduced her to the franchises participating in the tournament.
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Pakistani pacer Naseem Shah has sparked controversy even before he takes to the field in PSL 2026, where he is set to represent Rawalpindi Bindis. The fast bowler sparked controversy on the opening day of the tournament after posting a sarcastic comment about Maryam Nawaz.Naseem, who has represented Pakistan in all formats and has 152 international wickets, was given a show-cause notice by the board.
A statement from the PCB said that disciplinary action will be decided after hearing Naseem’s side of the matters, according to ESPNCricinfo. Naseem, represents the Rawalpindi Bindis, one of the two new PSL franchises. Last week, PCB President Mohsin Naqvi announced that the tournament would be held without spectators in the stadium due to the need to conserve fuel following the closure of the Strait of Hormuz and the West Asia crisis.
Naseem tweeted the post from PCB’s media account, saying: “Why is she being treated like a queen at Lord’s?” Minutes later, the post was deleted and replaced with another post claiming that the observer’s account had been hacked and was eventually restored. However, the PCB has now issued a statement declaring that Naseem violated the terms of his central contract as well as media policy and regulations. While the PCB did not clarify which clause had been breached, clause 2.23 of the PCB Code of Conduct, appears to state: “No public criticism or inappropriate comment is permitted in relation to the Board or any of its officers, sponsors or policies, the ICC or any of its officers or sponsors, the player, player support staff or match officials including referees and match officials, regardless of when such criticism or inappropriate comments are made.”
The PCB has taken strong action in case of any political expression by its players recently, with player Aamir Jamal being fined over PKR 1 million (US$4,000 approximately) for displaying a slogan supporting former Pakistani Prime Minister and 1992 World Cup winning captain Imran Khan. The all-rounder had turned up for a training session during the home Tests against England last year with ‘804’ written on the underside of his floppy cap. It is worth noting that “804” is the prison number for Imran, who has been imprisoned since August 2023, and the use of this number was a common way to show support for Imran by his supporters.
Naseem Shah will play against Peshawar Zalmi today.