Naseem Shah punished by ICC for Kieron Pollard fight in ILT20 final. Image Credits: X
Naseem Shah, Pakistan’s promising 22-year-old right-arm pacer, was fined by the International Cricket Council for a Level 1 breach of the ICC Code of Conduct during the International League T20 on Monday.
Although Naseem Shah played a key role in Desert Vipers’ ILT20 2025 title triumph, he could not escape punishment after being involved in a heated on-field altercation with MI Emirates captain Kieron Pollard.
Why did ICC punish Naseem Shah?
The league confirmed that the 22-year-old pacer was fined 10 percent of his match fee for breaching Article 2.5 of the ICC Code of Conduct.
The article relates to the use of language, actions, or gestures that could disparage or provoke an aggressive reaction from a batter following their dismissal.
"Desert Vipers pacer Naseem Shah has been fined 10 per cent of his match fee for a Level 1 breach of the ICC Code of Conduct following the DP World ILT20 Season 4 Final against MI Emirates at the Dubai International Stadium on 4 January," ILT20 wrote on its official website.
"Shah was found to have breached Article 2.5 of the ICC Code of Conduct, which relates to the use of language, actions or gestures that could disparage or provoke an aggressive reaction from a batter following their dismissal. The sanction was imposed by Match Referee Simon Taufel."
What happened between Kieron Pollard and Naseem Shah?
During the final at the Dubai International Cricket Stadium on Sunday, in the 11th over of Naseem’s spell, he bowled a fiery delivery that Pollard defended, sending the ball straight back towards the bowler.
Naseem collected the ball and stared at Pollard with a sly smile, which appeared to aggravate the MI Emirates skipper. Pollard responded aggressively, leading to a heated verbal exchange between the two players.
The on-field umpires, along with Desert Vipers batter Jason Roy, intervened promptly to defuse the situation and separate the players. However, the confrontation did not end well for Pollard, as he was dismissed by Naseem Shah on the very first delivery of the 16th over, allowing the Pakistan pacer to have the last laugh.
In the match, Naseem also emerged as one of the highest wicket-takers alongside David Payne, picking up three wickets from his four overs while conceding just 18 runs during the chase of 183 set by Desert Vipers in the final.
