Ahmed Shehzad Hits Out as PCB Fines Players PKR 50 Lakh Each

Ahmed Shehzad criticised the PCB for fining Babar Azam, Shaheen Afridi and others PKR 50 lakh each after Pakistan’s T20 World Cup 2026 exit, calling the decision foolish.

Ahmed Shehzad criticised the Pakistan Cricket Board(PCB) for imposing a PKR 50 lakh fine on each player after the team’s T20 World Cup 2026 exit. Pakistan failed to reach the semi-finals under captain Salman Ali Agha. They lost to India by 61 runs on February 15 at R. Premadasa Stadium and later fell to England by 2 wickets in the Super 8 stage. The PCB announced the fine days after the campaign ended.

Shehzad argued that the blanket fine unfairly punished players who performed well. He pointed out that some cricketers have not even earned 50 lakh in their careers.

“I think it’s a very foolish thing to slap a fine of 50 lakh on the players who you (PCB) are paying billions of rupees. And then there are players like Usman Tariq. He hasn’t earned 50 lakhs yet. So, how can he give you a fine of 50 lakhs? And what is the fault of Usman Tariq? What is the fault of Abrar Ahmed? What is the fault of Sahibzada Farhan? So there is no point in slapping a fine. Not at all,” Shehzad said to Geo News.

Should Officials Step Down After Failures?

Ahmed Shehzad also questioned whether officials like the chief selector, Aleem Dar, Asad Shafique, Hassan Cheema, Wahab Riaz, Mike Hesson or Salman Ali Agha would step down after repeated failures.

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“I would like to see who is stepping down. After so many horrific performances. The current management even got 2-3 events. So who is stepping down from this? Is the chief selector stepping down with his team? Is Aleem Dar stepping down? Is Asad Shafique stepping down? Or is Hassan Cheema stepping down? Or is Wahab Riaz stepping down? Or is Mike Hesson stepping down? Or is Salman Ali Agha stepping down? Who is stepping down? We are not seeing any of that”, he said.

Shehzad Calls for Salary Cap of PKR 10 Lakh

Ahmed Shehzad then criticised the PCB’s salary structure. He questioned why players receive PKR 46 lakh per month under central contracts. He suggested reducing the maximum monthly pay to PKR 10 lakh based on performance over 3-4 years.

Shehzad argued that heavy fines of PKR 50 lakh make little difference when players earn high monthly salaries. He pointed to the PSL auction model, where players receive deals worth 12 crores and 13 crores.

“All the systems of our country (Pakistan) are already in front of us. It is difficult for people to eat and drink (in Pakistan). In such a crisis country, you can’t give so much money to cricketers for these performances. You are giving a lot of money to cricketers. Just look at their performances. You have brought an auction model to the PSL. Your player — Saim Ayub — who has not performed in T20s is also getting 13 crores. So your problem is that you are giving them 46 lakhs per month in their central contract. And then you are giving crores in the PSL. Stop this and invest this money in domestic cricket,” he said.

“Don’t fine them. This is my message and suggestion to the chairman of the cricket board. There is no point in fining. You should bring your central contract in such a way that their maximum salary should reach 10 lakhs, looking at the performances of 3-4 years. And then the auction model that you have done of PSL, these players don’t deserve it. This money should be used for something different,” Shehzad added.

Focus on School, Club and First-Class Structure

The former Pakistan batter said the board should redirect funds towards grassroots cricket. He urged investment in under-13, under-15 and under-16 levels. He also called for support at school, university, club, first-class and grade 2 cricket.

“You (PCB) are giving a lot of money to the players. You need to basically minimise this. You have to fix this. What is 50 lakhs? Where you have given them 50 lakhs per month, they will give you that salary for a month. There is no problem. You have to bring their salary to 1 million. Or you have to do something about the 12 crores you are giving on their auction model. And you have to save this money and invest it in children. You have to invest it in under-16s, under-15s, and under-13s. In school cricket, in university cricket, at club level, at first-class level, at grade 2 level. This money should be invested at a national level. Because they don’t have any performance. So you have to do this,” Shehzad concluded.