The Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) on Thursday stated that “agenda-driven fake news targeting the character of our players is unacceptable and will not be tolerated”.

The development comes after several Indian media outlets reported that an unnamed member of Pakistan’s squad for the ICC Men’s T20 World Cup “misbehaved” with a female housekeeper at a hotel, ahead of their Super Eight match with Sri Lanka in Kandy.

A similar report was also carried by ARY News, which alleged that the player in question was Salman Mirza. The report has since been taken down.

However, the PCB’s statement did not make specific mention of any news reports or the allegations.

“Agenda-driven fake news targeting the character of our players is unacceptable and will not be tolerated,” it said.

“The reporter must publicly apologise without delay; failing which, the PCB will take all necessary steps to ensure such malicious conduct is dealt with firmly and nipped in the bud,” the board said, without specifying which reporter it was referring to.

The development came after Pakistan’s lacklustre campaign at the T20 World Cup, where they were knocked out on net run rate despite beating Sri Lanka in their final Super Eights match in Kandy.

On Monday, it was reported that the PCB had imposed a fine of Rs5 million on each member of the squad for poor performance during the tournament.