All of Pakistan’s squad members from the T20 World Cup have been fined PKR 5 million (US$ 18,000 approx.) each by the PCB following their underwhelming campaign. Pakistan were eliminated from the tournament following the Super Eight stage, missing out on the semi-finals of an ICC men’s event for the fourth successive time – the first such instance in Pakistan’s history.

ESPNcricinfo has learnt that the fines are not for disciplinary reasons, but specifically for what the board deems poor performance at the event. They were imposed immediately following Pakistan’s match against India in the group stages, where a meek showing resulted in a 61-run defeat. They were further told the fines may end up being waived off if Pakistan reached the tournament semi-finals.

Pakistan did get to the second round, thus avoiding a third straight first-round exit, but ran into trouble in the Super Eight group after a washout against New Zealand was followed by defeat to England. New Zealand’s crushing win over Sri Lanka left them relying on other results and a huge victory over Sri Lanka to sneak into the last four. However, their winagainst Sri Lanka was much too narrow to prevent an early exit.

The PCB has come down hard on players in the past, though sanctions have generally been framed as disciplinary. ESPNcricinfo has learned there were no disciplinary issues within the team throughout the tournament, and the fines have been levied specifically for the quality of their on-field performances. That makes the sanctions handed out by the PCB particularly rare, and potentially unprecedented.

The current PCB administration, though, does have form for imposing punishments in the wake of disappointments at major tournaments. Five months earlier, following a narrow defeat to India in the Asia Cup final, the PCB had briefly suspended all No-Objection Certificates (NOCs) issued to players that would have allowed them to take part in T20 leagues through the winter. That suspension, though, was lifted soon after as some of the top players headed to Australia for the BBL.

While the fines will be imposed on all players, Pakistan did have players who enjoyed individual success at the tournament. Sahibzada Farhan broke the record for most runs at a T20 World Cup, and became the only player to score two hundreds at the same event.

[Cricinfo]