Salman Mirza Breaks Silence In Women Harassment Case

KARACHI (Web Desk) — The Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) on Thursday rejected reports circulating in the media alleging that a Pakistan cricketer was involved in a harassment incident with a woman at a hotel in Sri Lanka during the ICC Men’s T20 World Cup 2026, terming the claims “baseless and misleading”.

The controversy emerged earlier in the day after a report aired on ARY News claimed that a left-arm fast bowler from the Pakistan team had been fined for allegedly misbehaving with a woman at a hotel in Sri Lanka. Similar claims were also mentioned in a report by Telecom Asia Sport, which said that a Pakistan player had allegedly harassed a female hotel staff member in Kandy during the tournament.

According to the report, the alleged incident occurred before Pakistan’s final Super Eight match against Sri Lanka in Pallekele. It claimed that a female hotel employee raised an alarm following the alleged harassment, prompting hotel staff to intervene before the matter was reportedly brought to the attention of team manager Naveed Cheema.

However, the PCB issued a statement strongly denying that any such incident had taken place.

“The Pakistan Cricket Board has taken serious notice of baseless and fake tickers aired by ARY News regarding a Pakistani left-arm fast bowler,” the board said in an official statement.

“The PCB strongly condemns the broadcast of such unverified and misleading information and views this act as malicious and irresponsible,” the statement added, noting that the board was considering legal action against those responsible for spreading the claims.

The report initially did not identify the player involved, though speculation arose because Pakistan’s squad included only two left-arm fast bowlers — Salman Mirza and Shaheen Shah Afridi.

Later, pacer Salman Mirza responded through an Instagram story, rejecting the allegations and criticising what he described as “cheap journalism”.

“An absurd news is circulating on media and I strongly condemn this sort of journalism,” Mirza wrote, adding that the PCB had already dismissed the reports as false.

The 32-year-old cricketer also said he would pursue legal action against ARY News journalist Shahid Hashmi, accusing him of spreading unverified information.

“Any media house cannot air unverified news. I am going to take legal action against Shahid Hashmi. This sort of filthy reporting must be banned and the government should take action against such people,” he said.

Mirza was part of Pakistan’s squad during the T20 World Cup 2026 campaign and featured in several matches, including a Super Eight clash against England.

The left-arm pacer claimed four wickets during the tournament with an economy rate of 6.78. His most notable performance came against the Netherlands, where he took three wickets for 24 runs.

The PCB reiterated that the allegations circulating in the media were unfounded and stressed the importance of responsible reporting.