Pakistan cricketers Mohammad Rizwan and Imam-ul-Haq have reportedly been summoned by Pakistan’s National Cyber Crime Investigation Agency (NCCIA) to investigate their phone data obtained during the ongoing Test tour of England. According to Geo, the NCCIA has also issued summons to a third unnamed cricketer and will now examine the information as part of an investigation.
The NCCIA comes under the (NCCIA) comes under the administrative oversight of the Federal Ministry of Interior, which is headed by Mohsin Naqvi, who is also the chairman of the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB).
The two cricketers have been under the scanner since Pakistan’s defeat in the second Test of the series at Lord’s, which made them concede the three-match rubber 2-0. Imam
picked up a calf injury on the first day while fielding and didn’t bat at all, while Rizwan managed only eight runs across the two innings.
After the match, reports broke that the PCB’s security officers confiscated their phones, and relevant authorities transferred the data. Both were subsequently sent home mid-series, even as five more players were removed from the squad and head coach Sarfaraz Ahmed and bowling coach Umar Gul were also sacked.
Initially, Pakistan media only said that both Imam and Rizwan would have to face a PCB inquiry over their performances. But the matter got more serious when the board confirmed that it was conducting an ‘internal disciplinary inquiry’
“The Pakistan Cricket Board has initiated an internal disciplinary inquiry following media reports concerning discipline and conduct, which are currently being reviewed internally,” Amir Mir, the PCB’s Director Media & Digital Communications, said in a statement on social media. “The PCB handles such matters in accordance with its standard procedures. The process is being conducted under PCB regulations, ensuring that all concerned individuals are given due consideration… The PCB will not comment further at this time. The Board advises stakeholders and the public to rely on official PCB communications.”
