Pakistan cricket’s troubled T20 World Cup campaign has been followed by yet another controversy, with reports emerging that a member of the national squad was fined for misbehaving with a female hotel staff member during the tournament in Sri Lanka.
According to a report by Telecom Asia Sport, the incident took place at the Golden Crown Hotel in Kandy, where the Pakistan team was staying during the Super Eight stage of the competition. The episode is believed to have occurred shortly before Pakistan’s final Super Eight match against Sri Lanka.
Sources quoted in the report said that a player from Pakistan’s World Cup squad allegedly behaved inappropriately with a female housekeeping staff member. The situation reportedly escalated when the staff member raised an alarm and called for help, prompting other hotel employees to intervene. The matter was then brought to the attention of Pakistan team manager Naveed Cheema.
Hotel officials were said to be deeply concerned by the incident and reportedly demanded strict action against the cricketer involved. However, the matter was handled internally after Cheema apologised to the hotel management on behalf of the player. The team management subsequently imposed a fine on the player, which temporarily settled the issue during the tournament.
Despite the internal resolution, the controversy may not end there. The identity of the player has not been publicly disclosed, but reports suggest the individual could be summoned before the Pakistan Cricket Board’s disciplinary committee after the team returns home. Further action could be considered depending on the findings of the board’s review.
The episode has surfaced at a particularly sensitive moment for Pakistan cricket, coming soon after a disappointing T20 World Cup campaign. Pakistan failed to qualify for the semifinals despite defeating Sri Lanka by five runs in their final Super Eight fixture, missing out due to net run-rate calculations.
The latest controversy has also revived memories of previous disciplinary issues involving Pakistan’s touring squads. Last year, batter Haider Ali was briefly detained by Manchester Police during a Pakistan Shaheens tour of England over rape allegations before being released due to insufficient evidence. In another earlier incident, team masseur Malang Ali was reportedly fined following allegations of misconduct with a female staff member during a tour of Malaysia.
