By Staff Reporter
LAHORE: Two of Pakistan’s most prominent cricketers, Mohammad Rizwan and Imam-ul-Haq, presented themselves before the country’s National Cyber Crime Investigation Agency in Lahore on Thursday, as officials pressed ahead with an inquiry into alleged leaks from the team’s dressing room during its troubled tour of England.
The pair arrived at the NCCIA’s Johar Town office at 3pm and were questioned for roughly two hours, local media reported. Investigators are understood to have focused on who the players met and spoke with during practice sessions and matches in England, alongside the substance of the alleged leaks themselves. Both men have asked for additional time before submitting further written responses.
The summons marks an escalation of a saga that has engulfed Pakistan cricket since a chastening defeat at Lord’s triggered one of the most drastic squad overhauls in the team’s recent history. Rizwan, 34, was among seven players axed on an emergency basis in the aftermath of that loss, and had been in London when the news broke. He flew home to Islamabad before travelling on to Lahore to appear before investigators, having first made contact with the Pakistan Cricket Board.
A veteran of 47 Tests, 103 one-day internationals and 106 T20 internationals, Rizwan captained Pakistan’s white-ball sides before his removal from the squad. Imam-ul-Haq was dropped alongside him.
Media reported that the investigation centres on material extracted from the players’ mobile phones, which the PCB had taken into its possession before passing them to the relevant authorities. The board has not explained publicly why it moved to confiscate the devices. A third Pakistan cricketer is understood to have also been issued with a notice by the agency, though their identity has not been disclosed.
The PCB itself has declined to comment on Rizwan’s appearance or on the wider investigation, with sources close to the board saying it would not be drawn into discussion while the inquiry remains live. Officials have separately pushed back at what they describe as unverified and baseless reports about players and staff circulating in the media.
The turmoil stems from the fallout of Pakistan’s first two Tests against England, both lost heavily, prompting the board to take the unusual step of releasing seven players and two members of the coaching staff from the squad in one sweep. Alongside Rizwan and Imam, Salman Ali Agha, Ali Usman, Aamer Jamal, Owais Zafar and Khurram Shahzad were all released, while head coach Sarfaraz Ahmed and bowling coach Umar Gul departed their posts.
The shake-up has also brought scrutiny onto how the squad was selected in the first place. Earlier this month, the PCB demanded a written explanation from a member of its own selection committee over the inclusion of Rizwan and Imam in the Test squad picked for this year’s tours of the West Indies and England.
A notice issued by the board on 31 August noted that the committee member had sat on a selection meeting on 2 June at which the Test squad for those tours was determined, and that Rizwan and Imam had been shortlisted for the squad on that member’s recommendation. The board asked the individual to set out the criteria applied, the performance considerations weighed and any other factors behind the decision, and to explain in full how the selection was ultimately reached. A response was demanded within 24 hours, with the board describing the matter as “urgent and of utmost importance.”
Neither the PCB nor the NCCIA has issued a formal statement confirming the details of Thursday’s questioning.
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