Jamal appeared for a Pakistan training day during the Home Test series against England last December with “804” written on the underside of his floppy hat. It is the prisoner number of IMRAN that has been jailed since August 2023 and faces several long -term judgments for corruption and other charges. Imran says the charges are politically motivated. The number has become a popular and identifying rally shouting among his supporters, heard at his political party PTI’s events and even under a few PSL games last year.

When Jamal was in training sets and not during a match day expressing a political message, it was not an ICC overpower. But PCB’s Code of Conduct mirrors ICC’s.

Jamal has been fined according to clause 2.23 in the code that says:

Public criticism of or inappropriate commentary on the board, any of its officials or sponsors or policies, ICC or any of its officers or sponsors, player, player support staff or match officers, including judge and match..

The clause notes that players cannot “comment on any sensitive, municipal, racial, sectarian, political, etc.”.

The fine is assumed to be an unusually large for the violation, which indicates that it could be an example rather than specifically punishing a disciplinary violation.

Imran was prime minister until he was removed by a parliamentary vote on no confidence in May 2022. He and his party have been in conflict with the current government’s Prime Minister Shahbaz Sharif. Mohsin Naqvi, the current PCB chairman, is a key figure in the current government as Minister of the Interior and by Constitution, is an appointment of the Prime Minister’s PCB.

Jamal was one of a number of players who were fined during the winter for various disciplinary and curfew.