Seasoned Pakistani all-rounder Shahid Afridi has been issued a show cause notice, among five other international players from Pakistan, by the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) for featuring in a commercial without taking permission from the board.

Afridi along with Muhammad Irfan, Fawad Alam, Anwar Ali and Wahab Riaz had reportedly appeared in an advertisement for Haier, the main sponsors for the home series against Australia and New Zealand, which was played in the UAE.

Afridi had recently announced that he would retire from ODIs after the 2015 World Cup as he wants to walk away during his peak form, The Express Tribune reported.

A PCB official revealed that the board has issued show cause notices to the five players who appeared in the ad without permission, adding that they would wait for their explanations and then decide if any action needs to be taken against them or not.

Image: Shahid Afridi of Pakistan

Photograph: Francois Nel/Getty Images