The Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) has come under fire from veteran fast bowler Mohammad Amir for punishing players harshly after the team’s Super 8 elimination at the 2026 T20 World Cup. The PCB reportedly fined the team PKR 50 lakh for their poor performance in the ICC event. According to several reports, the fine was imposed for not meeting performance standards rather than disciplinary reasons. After the group stage loss to India by 61 runs, players were told that if Pakistan advanced to the semifinals, the penalty would be removed.
Although Pakistan defeated Sri Lanka in their last Super 8 game, the victory was not enough to overtake New Zealand’s net run rate, and they were eliminated. They lost to England by a slim margin and had a postponed match against the Black Caps.
Amir chastised the PCB and cautioned chairman Mohsin Naqvi against “scapegoating” players while speaking on the Pakistani program Haarna Mana Hai. He called for a double penalty on administrators and selectors, arguing that they should also be held responsible.
“If fines are the solution, apply them to everyone — from selectors to the administration. Players weren’t forced at gunpoint. Hold selectors accountable for wrong combinations. Double the fine for them. Stop scapegoating players. This isn’t the real solution. Why do players have to suffer all the time?” Amir said.
Amir also questioned the reasoning of punishing every player, even Fakhar Zaman, who played in just two games, and Sahibzada Farhan, who broke the record for most runs in a single T20 World Cup edition with two hundreds.
“If you can’t pick the right combination, the ones who selected the squad and chalked out the plans must answer. Will you fine Fakhar Zaman as well, who played just two games? What about Sahibzada Farhan?” he asked.
Amir did, however, add that removing a player from the team would send a much greater message than fining them if the PCB is unhappy with them. Before being called up, he proposed that underachievers be required to demonstrate their abilities in domestic cricket for a minimum of two years.
“Fines aren’t the solution. I’ve said it from day one — invest in domestic cricket. That is where you will find quality players. If you are angry with someone, don’t fine them; drop them and tell them to perform consistently for two years in domestic cricket. The biggest punishment for a player is being left out of the team,” he added.
