Pakistan pacer Salman Mirza has broken his silence over the controversy that surfaced during Pakistan’s T20 World Cup campaign. In what came as a shocker on Thursday jolted Pakistan cricket’s image. Mirza is strongly denying allegations that he misbehaved with a hotel staff member in Sri Lanka. The left-arm fast bowler has now announced that he will take legal action against the reporter and media outlet that aired the claims.
The controversy began after reports suggested that an unnamed Pakistan cricketer had allegedly behaved inappropriately with a female housekeeping staff member at the Golden Crown Hotel in Kandy during Pakistan’s stay for the T20 World Cup. According to those reports, the incident was said to have taken place between February 25 and 28, shortly before Pakistan’s final Super 8 match against Sri Lanka.
It was also alleged that the matter reached Pakistan team manager Naveed Cheema, who reportedly apologised to the hotel management on behalf of the player. The reports further claimed that the player had been fined after the team management reviewed the situation.
PCB dismisses reports as ‘fake news’
The Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) quickly responded to the claims, strongly rejecting them and labelling the reports as baseless and misleading. In a statement, the PCB criticised the media outlet that aired the allegation and warned that legal action could follow.
“PCB has taken serious notice of baseless and fake news aired by ARY News regarding a Pakistani left-arm fast bowler. PCB strongly condemns the broadcast of such unverified and misleading information and views this act as malicious and irresponsible. PCB reserves the right to take appropriate action against those involved in spreading false news,” the board said. The reports had specifically named Salman Mirza as the player involved, something the PCB firmly denied.
Mirza vows legal action against reporter
Soon after the board’s response, Mirza himself addressed the issue on social media and dismissed the accusations outright. The young pacer said the reports were completely false and accused the media of spreading unverified information.
“An absurd news is circulating on media and I strongly condemn this sort of Cheap Journalism. Any Media House can’t air any unverified news,” Mirza wrote. He also confirmed that he is preparing to take legal action against the reporter responsible for publishing the story.
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