PCB rubbishes rumours of cricket team's 'curfew violation' a day before India clash

E-Paper | April 26, 2026

PCB rubbishes rumours of cricket team's 'curfew violation' a day before India clash

Abdul Ghaffar Published June 17, 2019

Videos and photographs of certain members of the Pakistan cricket team allegedly socialising past curfew a day before the match with India went viral on social media. ─ AP/File

The Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) on Monday rubbished rumours that the national cricket team had violated their curfew the day before a crucial high-pressure World Cup fixture against India.

The Indian cricket team's clinical destruction of Pakistan's game on Sunday night raised many questions about the Greenshirts' performance and the structure of cricket in the country.

Many commentators were quick to criticise the team for its lack of fitness and the apparent flouting of the curfew to fix blame for its lacklustre performance, especially after a series of photos and videos showing certain members of the team allegedly socialising past curfew went viral online.

"The cricketers did not violate their curfew," a PCB spokesperson told DawnNewsTV.

"The videos and photographs that went viral [on social media] are from two days before the match," the spokesperson said.

"The day before the match against India, all the players were in their hotel rooms by curfew time," he added.

Explore: 5 talking points from the Pakistan vs India World Cup battle

Professional tennis player Sania Mirza, who was photographed along with cricketer husband Shoaib Malik, also responded to the allegations, saying: "[The] 'outing' was dinner, and yes, people are allowed to eat if they lose a match!"

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SMI

Jun 17, 2019 04:11pm

All rubbish we have to accept that we lost the game and stop spreading controversies. It is History now look forward for other challenges

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IMTIAZ

Jun 17, 2019 04:15pm

Reasonable explanation of video being two days earlier than claimed. What about burgers as diet two days before the match? Does the team have a nutritionist or common sense?

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ali

Jun 17, 2019 04:16pm

PCB board and the team captain should resign to demonstrate they do have some ethical standing..

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A'HARA

Jun 17, 2019 04:19pm

Frankly as per Sania's comment, people are allowed to eat after loosing a match, but how can a person eat? Sorry to say but the body language of your husband is just to time pass and ruining the tempo and aggression of other players. Since he is retiring, kindly advise him to stay in the dressing room, no need to show up and retire peacefully, let other players play cricket, if he cannot.

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Taimur

Jun 17, 2019 04:19pm

Chairman PCB should go home

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InqelaB

Jun 17, 2019 04:20pm

Boys play, men win...

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Lilly

Jun 17, 2019 04:20pm

SA is Mitzi has become the official spokesperson of Pakistan cricket. It’s nice to see it takes an Indian to defend Pakistan cricket.

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SHUJAAT

Jun 17, 2019 04:22pm

what type of team we have to become a cricketer you also have to follow diet not just eating everything

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Sindbad

Jun 17, 2019 04:41pm

Pakistan should make Sania as team’s dietician!

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Vikas

Jun 17, 2019 04:43pm

I seriously don’t understand so much of post morgen and hair picking of everything. Do people realise that this fear of retaliation is what makes the players conscious and it able to perform to full potential. Pakistanis should learn to accept defeat and that to (honestly) to a far better team.

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Yasio

Jun 17, 2019 04:49pm

Only two days before they had some burgers .only two days before and sat out till 2 am and next day they had practice? PCB is telling a joke

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Sammy

Jun 17, 2019 04:54pm

@ali, Wow easy there mate, how about you resign next time you mess up at your job? Be a little tolarent

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SOLUTION - X

Jun 17, 2019 04:57pm

If they did not stay away late night & followed the disciplinary code, why were they yawning on the field in such an important match.

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Fiz

Jun 17, 2019 05:02pm

No amount of excuse is going to save them.

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amit

Jun 17, 2019 05:17pm

@IMTIAZ, No meaning of blaming on what they eat before playing.

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Dr. Salaria, Aamir Ahmad

Jun 17, 2019 05:26pm

What else can the hand-picked, unelected, self-appointed, dictatorial and autocratic PCB administration say to stay afloat, protect their jobs, provide lame excuses, refuse to accept tangible facts, deny its shortcomings and remain in the media limelight?

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Daskalos

Jun 17, 2019 05:29pm

I still don't understand why we always make so much fuss about just a game of cricket. Grow up.

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Shib

Jun 17, 2019 05:30pm

Pathetic explanation by PCB...wonder how a professional sportsman can smoke a Sheesha...it is not a night before match but two days earlier....Smoking a sheesha...which is unbelieveable.....Need to seriously revamp the entire team including selectors and the coach...Before our Cricket team becomes like our Hockey...

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Concerned

Jun 17, 2019 05:42pm

PCB should resign

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Mohan

Jun 17, 2019 05:46pm

The man facing "39" has a paunch! An international sportsman with a paunch. Imagine that.

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Shabbir

Jun 17, 2019 05:53pm

So the players did not violate curfew time the night before the match but PCB admits they were out two days before match and surely it was still outside curfew time..sitting in sheesha bar having some burgers...this all doesn't look well for Pakistani team and management,

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Ajaz Ahmed

Jun 17, 2019 06:11pm

Athletes should not be eating fast food at all. Very unprofessional. Who is in charge of this team? Do they know anything about fitness and nutrition? What a joke. No wonder Pakistan sport is in the dumps. To compete at the highest level you must use every advantage possible because the other team are. It's not a game in the park.

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Vellaichamy

Jun 17, 2019 06:15pm

One thing comes to our mind. Present day Pak cricketers are not paying attention to their fitness and their physique compared to yesteryear Pakistan heros.

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Dr. Rafiq Khan

Jun 17, 2019 06:23pm

Greed displayed by the players once again, every world cup the team purposely sabotages the Captain so somebody new can be Captain. Mr. Ahmed did himself no favours by electing to field first erroneously for the second time this world cup.

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Khan

Jun 17, 2019 06:25pm

This team is also of PML N governament time.team takes atleast 4 years to prepare.good luck to PCBs new team after world cup

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FAhmed

Jun 17, 2019 06:27pm

Sarfraz should resign as a captain, he doesn't have capacity as captain. They all played all matches poorly and they don't have even guts to listen criticism.They are nation blood sucker, country needs money and they are wasting money on poorly played games. In over last 3 decades they only very few major tournament i.e. 92 WC, T20WC and a champions trophy. Waste of money

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Shahid khawaja

Jun 17, 2019 07:02pm

@ali, PM Imran has exposed his weaknesses by making non professional appointments in PCB who have no knowledge of Pakistan cricket. PM has made PCB a top heavy organization. I am not getting emotional at the losses of Pakistan cricket team with India and other countries. But look at the maths performance figures and there is no reason for immediate resignation s of Mickey Athur, Inzaman,Azhar Mahmood and the batting coaches. Not a single improvement in batting or bowling. PM should take immediate decision and save tax payers money.

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SHAHID SATTAR

Jun 17, 2019 07:13pm

So what if they were merry making on the night before the match? After all they are entitled to enjoy life and have a peg or two outside the country, where they will be caught for this folly and may be put behind bars with bail being an option. Pitying them is more sensible than censoring.

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Echs

Jun 17, 2019 07:17pm

What Sania could do alone Pak couldn't do as a team. She is player and pride of India. So please don't blame her for loss of Pakistan in play field. People are emotional but we don't expect the same from.Dawn. Please don't publish rubbish things just to sell papers.

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ramasubramanian

Jun 17, 2019 07:17pm

@Taimur, Relax. It's a political statement. Don't get emotional. After all it's a game and look it as a game. Victory or defeat will not change the life's routine, which one has to undergo for his livelihood. Let's not waste too much of our life's precious time. If I are a professional, businessman, employee, it will be an other usual day

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FAZ

Jun 17, 2019 07:28pm

That is the whole issue Sania gee. Your husband's body language after the match remains a routine. No regrets at all. After all its just a game. And i am sure not following a diet plan during such an important event is also not very important. After all its just a game?

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wasim

Jun 17, 2019 07:34pm

Not worth discussing..more important issues facing the country than this petty game.

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Hindustani

Jun 17, 2019 07:36pm

Thanks Sania, for taking the Pakistani team for a ride (Dinner) just before the match. :-)

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Rashid Khan the Afghan

Jun 17, 2019 07:57pm

I expect Sania Mirza was sad that husband scored 100-100 and was bazooka-ed but happy because her national team one? I wonder which comes first Ms Mirza, husband's country or your own? Or maybe neither? It cannot be both though cos that would be neutrality and uncaring of your own. Did you tweet congratulations to Rohit on his 140 and meet up with your Indian team to offer them felicitations on victory against a frenimy?

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Mastang

Jun 17, 2019 08:03pm

We don't want to win that's why we lose.

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Echs

Jun 17, 2019 08:05pm

@SOLUTION - X, what was manager doing? That means no control over team? Please remember it was india Pakistan match. Sarfaraz as captain must be in tension and couldn't had sound sleep at night. Please see before exam you also will not be able to sleep unless you are very good at study done study whole year or not bothered about exam!

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Azhar Khan

Jun 17, 2019 08:15pm

I think Shoaib Malik just played his last game.

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Wasit

Jun 17, 2019 08:18pm

The biggest problem with Team Pakistan is mental Pressure. It just cannot take it and needs a psychologist even more than a coach. It should always avoid a chase if it wins the toss as that adds to pressure on the batsmen. Surprising, how little Sarfaraz knows his own team.

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STFUZak

Jun 17, 2019 08:28pm

then why Sarfaraz yawning in the middle of the match?

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Manish

Jun 17, 2019 08:32pm

@A did he select himself.. do you have better players then suggest.

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parveez shafi

Jun 17, 2019 09:00pm

Pcb and the whole management should resign. No discipline No professionalism No planning. Wrong team, why is Malik' playing. He is passed his best long ago. He can't field. He is not fit.he can't bowl, and definitely can't bat. Wrong use of bowlers at the wrong time. Ask people how they feel. Who paid £750. I left the match after the fourth wicket. Travelled 400 miles and they don't even put up a fight. Feel sick. I am going on Sunday

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Deepak Talwar

Jun 17, 2019 09:33pm

This is very unfair and unkind. For heavens sake it's only a game.You win some you lose some.

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Vinay

Jun 17, 2019 10:09pm

Even if it was 2 days before game, the picture of Sarfaraz holding a burger and a high calorie, sugar rich ice cream smoothie, is damning. What kind of professional team eats like this during a world cup. Compare to the gluten free diet of Virat Kohli.

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Masood Wazir

Jun 18, 2019 09:12am

Just Imagine about future as what Bangal Tigers will do with us after demolishing West Indies. Afghanistan already fixed us with their bat during warm-up match. We have to concentrate against bat handle.

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