LAHORE: The Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) has officially served a show-cause notice to fast bowler Naseem Shah for an alleged violation of his central contract and the board’s media policy.
The notice, served under the board’s strict disciplinary framework for centrally contracted players, marks a significant move by the PCB to enforce its media and political neutrality policies during the high-octane PSL 11 season. It stems from a critical tweet posted from the bowler’s official X account directed at Punjab Chief Minister Maryam Nawaz.
The issue began during the PSL 11 opening ceremony at Gaddafi Stadium. A post appeared on Naseem Shah’s official X (formerly Twitter) account, quote-retweeting a video of CM Maryam Nawaz with the caption:”Why is she being treated like the queen at Lords?”
🚨NASEEM SHAH IN TROUBLE 🚨
PCB has issued a show-cause notice to Naseem Shah for violating the central contract’s media policy. pic.twitter.com/M6YAnIs1aI
— Kashif (@KashifNdmCric) March 27, 2026
The comment quickly went viral and sparked a firestorm of debate. Some journalists aligned with media outlets affiliated with the ruling party rushed to show that Naseem Shah is actually an Imran Khan supporter.
نسیم شاہ ایکس پر جن 40 اکاؤنٹس کو فالو کر رہے ہیں ان میں عمران خان کو سب سے پہلے فالو کیا گیا تھا pic.twitter.com/JmwKGQ53vy
— Awais Yousaf Zai (@awaisReporter) March 27, 2026
Under the terms of the PCB Central Contract and the Media Policy and Regulations, players are strictly prohibited from making political comments or criticizing government figures without prior authorization.
Shortly after the post gained traction, it was deleted. Naseem later issued a clarification, claiming his account had been compromised. He stated that he had temporarily lost control of his account to hackers and regained access only after the tweet was posted.
However, despite the hacking claim, the PCB, who is headed by Home Minister and key player in current regime Mohsin Naqvi, decided to proceed with a formal inquiry. Officials indicated that a show-cause notice is necessary to obtain a documented, official explanation to maintain the integrity of the board’s professional standards.
According to the PCB’s regulations, centrally contracted players are strictly prohibited from making political comments or criticizing government officials on social media platforms without obtaining prior permission.
The pacer, who is currently representing the Rawalpindiz in the eleventh edition of the Pakistan Super League, is required to submit a written reply to the board within a specified deadline. Once the response is reviewed, the PCB will determine the next course of action, which could result in a range of outcomes from a formal warning or fine to more severe disciplinary measures.
