Why Did PCB Collect Fines from Pakistan Players And Then Return It?

In a bizarre turn of events, the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) returned the fines collected from its players after imposing them for disciplinary reasons, according to the Pakistani outlet Daily Ausaf.

Who were slapped with fines and why?

All-rounder Aamer Jamal was handed the heaviest fine amounting to nearly PKR 1.3 million for wearing a political slogan on his cap during the series against England, which violated PCB's regulations against political agendas and expressing them in public.

Salman Agha, Saim Ayub and Abdullah Shafique were fined PKR 500,000 for violating curfew rules during Pakistan's white-ball tour of Australia. Additionally, Abbas Afridi was fined $200 during the subsequent tour of South Africa along with the three players for violating curfew protocols. 

During the same series, Shaheen Afridi was slapped with 25% of his match fee by the ICC for his altercation with South Africa batter Matthew Breetzke. Moreover, Saud Shakeel and Kamran Ghulam were fined 10% for celebrating too close to Temba Bavuma after his dismissal.

Why did PCB return the sum to the players?

The PCB became a tad lenient and returned the collected fines to the players as a reward following Pakistan's 3-0 ODI clean sweep over South Africa in December 2024. 

However, Pakistan suffered a group-stage exit in the ICC Champions Trophy 2025 - a tournament they hosted. The heat is once again on the PCB as to how they deal with the players, and get the on-field results going in their favour again.

Pakistan embark on a white-ball tour of New Zealand, beginning with a T20 International (T20I) series on March 16 (Sunday).