Young Pakistani cricketer Naseem Shah is making headlines after an X (formerly Twitter) post critical of Punjab CM Maryam Nawaz appeared on his profile. The account reposted a photo of Maryam Nawaz attending the opening match of the Pakistan Super League 2026 as a guest of honor. The post questioned the VIP protocol and special treatment she received despite restrictions on public attendance, asking, “Why is she treated like the queen at Lords?” While the post quickly went viral and sparked widespread debate, Naseem Shah’s team later issued a clarification, stating: “The official account of Naseem Shah was hacked but has now been successfully recovered.”
The Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) has imposed a heavy fine on Naseem Shah for his alleged tweet against CM Punjab Maryam Nawaz. A statement issued by the PCB confirms he was fined 20 million Pakistani rupees (2 crore) for multiple violations of his central contract. The Board stated that the fast bowler was found guilty following an investigation. According to the statement, even after considering his conditional apology, the PCB determined that he had breached several clauses of his contract. In addition to the fine, Naseem Shah has dismissed his social media advisor, whom the PCB has now blacklisted and barred from working with any professional player in the future.
Naseem Shah has also posted an apology on his official X account, clarifying that the controversial post was shared by his management team. While distancing himself from the content, he stated that he takes full responsibility for everything posted on his platform. In his statement, he wrote, “A recent post from my account was made by my management team and does not reflect my views. I take full responsibility for my platform and have implemented the necessary changes to ensure this does not happen again. I sincerely apologize to everyone affected by this misuse of my platform.”
