The Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) took swift action after the national team’s poor performances at the T20 World Cup, fining every player five million rupees, a news report has said. 

 

Quoting its sources,an English daily reported that the message was delivered to the team right after the loss to India.

 

Officials told the squad that rewards would now depend strictly on results. Financial incentives, they said, would follow performances on the field, not reputation, Express Tribune reported.

 

Pakistan’s campaign never gathered momentum. The team narrowly escaped defeat against the Netherlands in the opening match before beating the USA. With experience in Sri Lankan conditions and a strong spin attack, expectations rose for the clash against India, but the side repeated mistakes seen earlier in the Asia Cup and fell short again.

 

A win over Namibia helped Pakistan reach the Super 8 stage. Rain washed out the match against New Zealand, and defeat to England left Pakistan dependent on other results. England’s win over New Zealand briefly reopened the door, but a narrow victory against Sri Lanka failed to lift Pakistan’s net run rate enough.

 

New Zealand progressed to the semifinals, and Pakistan’s tournament ended there.

 

Board officials shared the disappointment felt by fans. They imposed the fines to underline accountability and reminded players that penalties would accompany poor performances, just as bonuses follow strong ones.

 

Under the current central contracts running from July 1, 2025, to June 30, 2026, no player features in the A category. A-category players earn 4.5 million rupees per month along with an ICC revenue share of 2.07 million rupees. B-category players receive three million rupees monthly and 1.5525 million rupees as ICC share. C-category players earn one million rupees per month plus 1.035 million rupees from ICC revenue, while D-category players receive 750,000 rupees monthly and 517,500 rupees as ICC share. Match fees come separately.

 

The PCB had earlier introduced an auction model in the Pakistan Super League (PSL) to secure players financially.

 

On the field, Farhan finished the tournament as Pakistan’s leading run-scorer with 383 runs. Other senior batters struggled. Saim Ayub, Salman Ali Agha, Babar Azam and Usman Khan failed to reach 100 runs individually across the event. Among bowlers, spinner Usman Tariq stood out with 10 wickets, while the rest delivered only average returns.

The team’s direction has also drawn scrutiny. Head coach Mike Hesson holds strong influence within the setup. Captain Salman Ali Agha has led on the field, while Shadab Khan has remained involved in decision-making through his close working relationship with Hesson at Islamabad United, Express Tribune reported.

The report added that the team management informed Fakhar Zaman before the tournament that he would not feature in the early matches. When he finally opened against Sri Lanka, he struck 84 at a strike rate of 200, underlining what Pakistan had missed earlier. By then, the damage had already been done.

Babar Azam failed to meet expectations, Salman Ali Agha struggled with the bat, and questions surfaced about his leadership. 

With the World Cup over, officials are now expected to review performances closely and take tougher decisions in the days ahead.