In an unprecedented move, the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) has imposed fines on players for their poor showing in the T20 World Cup, currently underway. Conflicting reports suggest that the fines were specifically levied after the team's meek 61-run defeat against India, but there remains some ambiguity surrounding the matter since there were some impressive performances in an otherwise lukewarm campaign. A PCB spokesperson did not respond to queries.

Local reports suggest that each player has been fined PKR 5 million. The process behind the decision remains unclear, but the penalty appears to have been applied uniformly across the squad. It is a curious call, particularly given that there were notable individual performances from Sahibzada Farhan, Usman Tariq, Fakhar Zaman and Abrar Ahmed. That said, the broader backdrop is hard to ignore: Pakistan have failed to reach the semifinals in each of the last four ICC white-ball tournaments since their run to the T20 World Cup final in 2022.

Despite the heavy loss against India, the Pakistan team advanced to the Super Eight stage, where they won one match, lost one, and had one game - against New Zealand - washed out. They ended up tied on three points with New Zealand, who progressed to the semifinals based on a higher net run rate (NRR). Pakistan's lone win in the Super Eight round came against hosts Sri Lanka, but the margin of victory was not sufficient to surpass New Zealand on NRR.

"PCB has fined cricketers 5 million each for their performance in the World Cup. In fact the decision was made right after the defeat against India. Officials have made it clear to the players that enough leniency has been shown. From now financial benefits will come only with performance (sci)," a local media outlet reported. However, it is reported that no such fine clause exists in the contracts issued to the players.