Rizwan says ‘nothing official yet’ on reports of imposing fine on players
KARACHI: Pakistan’s experienced wicketkeeper batter Mohammad Rizwan argued that the reports of Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) imposing fines on national cricketers over their underwhelming performances at the ICC Men’s T20 World Cup 2026 were not official.
Rizwan, while addressing the media on the sidelines on the final day of the national team’s training camp here at the Hanif Mohammad High-Performance Centre for the upcoming away ODI series against Bangladesh, was asked to opine on the reports of players set to be penalised.
In response, the former captain stressed that he would only be able to comment on the matter had it been officially communicated by the PCB.
He further slammed news outlets for “making claims” without them being officially issued. “Many people have asked me about this, and even players have been asked, but so far nothing official has come forward. If the PCB officially states that there is a fine of fifty lakh or that the management has imposed penalties, then I could comment on it,” Rizwan told reporters.
“But since nothing official has been announced yet, and these reports have only appeared in the news. “I can only say that such claims raise questions in my mind about how these things are being presented when nothing official has been issued.”
The three-match series against Bangladesh, set to be played from March 11 to 15 at the Sher-e-Bangla National Cricket Stadium in Mirpur, will be Pakistan’s first international assignment following the T20 World Cup 2026 heartbreak.
Although the Green Shirts head into the assignment on the back of a 3-0 whitewash over Sri Lanka at home in November last year, they made substantial changes to their squad as star batter Babar Azam, along with Fakhar Zaman, Haseebullah, Mohammad Nawaz, Naseem Shah and Saim Ayub were left out.
Consequently, Mohammad Rizwan was asked whether the key players were dropped from the ODI squad due to their recent struggles in T20Is and also whether the alleged mixing of the formats while analysing national cricketers’ performances was affecting Pakistan cricket.
Rizwan, in response, put the onus on the selection committee, stating he was “unaware” of what happens in their meetings. “Such thoughts can come to anyone’s mind, and perhaps they come to the minds of our people as well — that if a player is dropped from ODIs due to T20 performances,” Rizwan stated.
“But, I believe the selection committee can answer this better, because they know the thinking behind such decisions. If I answer, I may not be fully aware of what happens in their meetings.” Staff Report
