File photo of Naseem Shah© AFP
Former Pakistan captain Younis Khan is unhappy with the massive fine imposed on fast bowler Naseem Shah by the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) for his reported comments against a political leader on social media, saying that such actions are not in the best interests of the players and the game. Shah was reprimanded and fined by the PCB’s disciplinary committee after a tweet from his social media account, in which he made some sarcastic remarks about Punjab Chief Minister Maryam Nawaz, who had visited the Gaddafi Stadium in Lahore on March 27 during the opening match of the Pakistan Super League.
The board’s committee reached its verdict in just three days, imposing a heavy fine of 20 million rupees on Shah for breaching the players’ code of conduct.
Younis said that the fine was excessive and could have been avoided.
“Once Naseem (Shah) had apologised for the tweet and also made it clear that his social media manager was behind it and that he had fired him, the board could have let Naseem off with a warning and a much lesser fine,” Younis said.
He said such actions only contribute to demoralising players. “The board should be taking care of its players.” Younis added that if things are taken so seriously, then even selectors and board officials should be fined when they make misleading statements or fail in their duties.
He urged the PCB to reconsider its decision, as Shah had shown his remorse for the incident.
After Shah’s tweet, the PCB issued fresh guidelines for all its centrally contracted and domestically contracted players, stating that they or their social media managers must first obtain clearance from the board before posting anything on social media and that no posts of a political nature would be tolerated.
The board has made it clear that any political posts can lead to a fine of 10 million rupees