More serious drama continues to unfold in Pakistan cricket as senior cricketers Mohammad Rizwan and Imam-ul-Haq were reportedly called in by the National Cyber Crimes Investigation Agency (NCCIA) in Lahore upon their return to Pakistan from England, as per a report in Cricinfo.
Following their shambolic performances in the first two Tests against England, Rizwan, Imam, and five other players, along with head coach Sarfaraz Ahmed and bowling coach Umar Gul, were dropped and replaced mid-series by the PCB, who made the decision without consulting captain Babar Azam.
It has been reported that Rizwan and Imam were brought in by the NCCIA on Thursday after receiving summons from the organization. Cricinfo reveals that one of the two players was “there for several hours.”
It is also not clear whether this inquiry by the Cyber Crimes Investigation Agency is in relation to the inquiry the PCB has announced.
After making wholesale changes to the squad, the Pakistan Cricket Board released a statement saying the board has launched an investigation “following media reports concerning discipline and conduct” of the Pakistanis on the England trip, adding that this inquiry is “currently being reviewed internally.”
Cricinfo reported that one of Rizwan or Imam “has been given a questionnaire to respond to and return to the NCCIA next week.“
There are various media reports circulating in the Pakistan news circuit, one of which states that the PCB confiscated the mobile phones of some players, including that of Rizwan.
Mohammad Rizwan, Imam-ul-Haq suspended from playing in President’s Trophy
The PCB has barred the duo from featuring in the upcoming Presidents Cup, which is a domestic first-class tournament in Pakistan. A possible reason for that could be the absence of both players from the fitness tests that were conducted for the cricketers appearing in this competition, rendering them ineligible.
Both held leadership positions in their respective teams: Imam was captain of OGDCL and Rizwan was the vice-captain of SNGPL.
Rizwan was the leading run-scorer for the Pakistan team in Test cricket from January 2024 to the West Indies tour. However, his performances dipped drastically in the West Indies and England. Across those four Tests, he managed scores of 12, 11, 18, 12, 41, 7, and 1.
Imam’s case is weirder. While he made 63 and 42 in his first innings of the Test series in the West Indies and in England, respectively, his injury fiasco at Lord’s attracted a lot of criticism and trolling, and even questioning on his commitment to the Pakistan team.
The left-handed opener was revealed to have sustained a grade-1 tear in his left calf on day 1 of the Lord’s Test. He didn’t bat in either of Pakistan’s innings; however, he did come out to practice and shadow bat in the warm-ups on the morning of the last day at Lord’s.
While commentating, Stuart Broad criticized Imam, saying, “That’s all for show. He has got a bit of stick from the media and maybe his teammates. You can do that inside the indoor school without anyone seeing, you don’t have to come wearing shorts and tape and hobble around like that. I am not impressed with that.”
Then, PCB’s chief selector and director of high performance, Aaqib Javed, lashed out at Imam while speaking on the broadcast network Geo, opining that Imam’s injury “is a big question mark and a deep disappointment.”
Javed added, “Players in the past used to get injuries, but they used to put on casts and still tried [to play]. We’ll take action against this. How is it possible that a pulled muscle ruled you out of batting in both innings? He should have tried and fought. He’ll have to face an inquiry; I can’t say he faked it, but a muscle pull like that cannot stop you from batting altogether.”
The PCB has reportedly sent notices to the selectors, asking for an explanation for the squads picked for the West Indies and England tours. In a tacit response, former captain Misbah-ul-Haq resigned as of the members of the selection panel.
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