PCB breaks silence on reports of Pakistan cricketer Salman Mirza ‘misbehaving’ with a woman in Sri Lanka hotel

Here's what the PCB had to say about the reports of a Pakistan player misbehaving with a female hotel staff member during the T20 World Cup.

Updated on: Mar 5, 2026, 23:10:41 IST

Written by Vishesh Roy

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The Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) on Thursday lambasted fake and baseless reports claiming that Salman Mirza was penalised by the board for misbehaving with a woman at a Kandy hotel during the T20 World Cup 2026. This response came after a local channel, ARY, aired the news of the left-arm pacer being fined for harassing a woman. The PCB was quite strict in its response, saying it is exploring legal action against the said sources for running away with fake news stories.

Pakistan's Salman Mirza in action REUTERS/Lahiru Harshana (REUTERS)

"The Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) has taken serious notice of baseless and fake tickers aired by ARY News regarding a Pakistani left-arm fast bowler. The PCB strongly condemns the broadcast of such unverified and misleading information and views this act as malicious and irresponsible," the PCB stated in an official release.

“The PCB reserves the right to take appropriate action against those involved in spreading false news,” it added.

In another post on X, the official handle of PCB wrote, “Agenda-driven fake news targeting the character of our players is unacceptable and will not be tolerated. The reporter must publicly apologise without delay; failing which, the PCB will take all necessary steps to ensure such malicious content is dealt with firmly and nipped in the bud.”

Also Read: Damning report: A Pakistan player behaved inappropriately with a female hotel staff member in Kandy

Earlier on Thursday, a report in Telecom Asia Sport also stated that a Pakistan player misbehaved with a woman in Kandy during the T20 World Cup; however, the publication did not name any individual. The report stated that the incident happened before Pakistan's final Super 8s match against Sri Lanka in Pallekele.

The report further stated that the said player was also fined for this act. The female hotel staff member reportedly raised an alarm, prompting hotel employees to intervene and take control of the situation. The matter was then escalated to Pakistan team manager Naveed Cheema.

Chaos in Pakistan cricket

For the fourth ICC event in a row, Pakistan failed to reach the semi-finals. The side crashed out of the T20 World Cup 2026 after failing to defeat Sri Lanka by 65 runs. Pakistan, led by Salman Ali Agha, might have won the match but failed to advance to the next round.

According to several reports, the PCB has decided to penalise every player for the poor performance in the T20 World Cup, fining them 50 lakh Pakistani rupees each.

In the T20 World Cup, Pakistan lost to India in the group stage, while the Green Shirts faced a narrow defeat against England. The match against New Zealand was abandoned due to rain, while the side beat Sri Lanka by five runs.

Recently, Pakistan announced the ODI squad for the series against Bangladesh, and Babar Azam and Saim Ayub were shown the door, with Shaheen Shah Afridi set to lead.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Vishesh Roy
Vishesh Roy is a sports journalist with a strong focus on cricket. He began his career at Asian News International (ANI), where he covered a range of high-profile events, including the India Open, Legends Cricket League, the England–India Test series in Ahmedabad in 2021, and the inauguration of the Narendra Modi Stadium. During his tenure at ANI, he also reported extensively on domestic cricket, covering several Ranji Trophy and Vijay Hazare Trophy matches across the country. While cricket remains his primary beat, Vishesh has also reported on tennis, football and WWE. After a stint of over three years at ANI, Vishesh moved to NDTV, where he gained hands-on experience in digital-first journalism, with a particular emphasis on live blogs and real-time news reporting. He joined Hindustan Times in October 2024 and quickly established himself with a series of exclusive interviews and source-driven stories. Ahead of the IPL 2025 auction, Hindustan Times was the first to report that the two-day event would be held in Saudi Arabia. In the early months of his tenure, Vishesh secured interviews with leading cricketers, including Pat Cummins, Shreyas Iyer, Nitish Kumar Reddy and Rashid Latif. He has also closely tracked the rise of emerging talents such as Vaibhav Suryavanshi and Priyansh Arya by speaking to their current and childhood coaches. His background in on-field reporting has helped Hindustan Times Digital break exclusive stories on major developments, including Virat Kohli’s return to the Ranji and Vijay Hazare Trophy, IPL scheduling, and the T20 World Cup controversy involving Bangladesh and Pakistan.Read More

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