Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) has demanded a public apology after a media report accused national fast bowler Salman Mirza of misconduct during T20 World Cup in Sri Lanka.
In a strong statement, PCB rejected the report and described it as agenda driven fake news that targeted the character of its players.
“Agenda driven fake news targeting the character of our players is unacceptable and will not be tolerated,” said the PCB in a statement.
The board warned that such claims were unacceptable and said it would take legal action if the journalist involved failed to issue a public apology.
“The reporter must publicly apologize without delay; failing which, the PCB will take all necessary steps to ensure such malicious conduct is dealt with firmly and nipped in the bud,” the PCB said.
The controversy began when a local sports journalist claimed that Mirza had behaved inappropriately with a hotel staff member during a recent tour. The report alleged that the staff member filed a complaint with the Pakistan team management, adding that the management reviewed the matter before imposing a heavy fine on the pacer.
The Board quickly rejected the allegations and dismissed the claims as baseless.
Soon after the report circulated, Mirza also responded through his Instagram account. He strongly criticised the story and called it false and irresponsible journalism.
“A absurd News is circulating on media and I strongly condemn this sort of Cheap Journalism. Any Media House can’t air any unverified news. #PakistanCricketBoard has already denied this Baseless & Fake News and i’m going to take Legal Action against #ShahidHashmi (Journalist) who works for ARY NEWS. This sort of Flithy reporting must be banned and #Governmentof Pakistan must take action against such people!” Mirza wrote.
The fast bowler added that he plans to pursue legal action against journalist Shahid Hashmi over the report.
The story first surfaced in Indian media and was later picked up by a prominent Pakistani mainstream channel. However, after PCB issued its statement, the report was removed from the outlet’s website and social media platforms.
The media organisation has not yet responded to PCB’s demand for a public apology.