Pakistan's calamitous tour of England is over. England swept the series with a 8-wicket win in the 3rd Test match. The 'highlight' of the tour was the PCB sending several members home and firing head coach, Safraz Ahmed and bowling coach, Umar Gul.
In a rather shocking piece of news, Imam Ul-Haq and Mohammad Rizwan are being investigated by cyber security.
Pakistan cricketers Mohammad Rizwan and Imam-ul-Haq were questioned by the National Cyber Crimes Investigation Agency (NCCIA) in Lahore, according to Cricinfo. The two players were among seven cricketers dropped from Pakistan’s squad during the ongoing Test series against England following a 194-run defeat in the second Test at Lord’s.
Rizwan and Imam were then asked to appear before the NCCIA and visited its office on Thursday. According to the report, at least one of them spent several hours at the agency.
The reason for the questioning hasn't been made public. It is also not known whether the NCCIA matter is linked to an internal inquiry launched by the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) earlier this week.
The PCB hadn't named any players when it announced the inquiry. The board said it had "initiated an internal disciplinary inquiry following media reports concerning discipline and conduct, which are currently being reviewed internally."
Reports suggested that at least one of the players received a questionnaire from the NCCIA and is expected to submit the completed document next week.
Rizwan had a poor run with the bat during the England tour, scoring 12; 41; 7 and 1 in his four innings. His struggles continued in the two Tests that followed in the Caribbean.
Imam, meanwhile, suffered a Grade 1 tear in his left calf on the opening day at Lord’s and didn't bat in either of Pakistan’s innings' . On the final morning, he tried some light knockdowns during the warm-up but appeared to be uncomfortable.
Aaqib Javed, PCB chief selector and director of high performance, later questioned the seriousness of Imam’s injury and suggested that the matter could be investigated.
Following the Lord’s defeat, the PCB released seven players from the squad: Rizwan; Imam; Salman Agha; Ali Usman; Aamer Jamal; Awais Zafar and Khurram Shahzad. The result came after Pakistan had already suffered an innings and 103-run defeat against England in the series opener at Leeds.
Pakistan replaced them with five uncapped players, along with Saim Ayub and Abdullah Fazal. The uncapped players added to the squad were: Arafat Minhas, Mohammad Imran Jnr, Saad Baig, Mohammad Imran Randhawa and Razaullah.
The PCB also sent head coach Sarfaraz Ahmed and bowling coach Umar Gul back home after the Lord’s loss. Mike Hesson and Ashley Noffke, who are part of Pakistan’s white-ball coaching set-up, were brought in as head coach and bowling coach respectively.
Pakistan’s team security manager has reportedly handed over the phones of Rizwan and Imam to the NCCIA as part of the inquiry. According to sources cited by PTI, both players have indicated that they are willing to allow a forensic examination of their devices.
The off-field controversy has unfolded against the backdrop of a disastrous Test tour of England for Pakistan. After losing the first Test by an innings and 103 runs, Pakistan were beaten by 194 runs at Lord’s.
The sweeping changes made by the PCB have done little to improve results. Pakistan were bowled out in the second session of the opening day of the Lord’s Test; before England posted 453 runs.
Rizwan has also struggled badly with the bat in recent times; nbtgg while Imam was involved in an injury-related controversy after suffering a Grade 1 tear in his left calf. His decision to face a few knockdowns despite appearing to struggle physically reportedly drew questions from within the PCB.
The fallout has now extended to domestic cricket as well. Rizwan and Imam are set to miss the Presidents Cup, Pakistan’s premier domestic first-class tournament, which begins on Saturday.
While the official reason given by the PCB is that neither player completed the mandatory fitness tests required by their departmental teams; a source within the board said their ongoing NCCIA inquiry was also a factor in them not being cleared to play.
Both players were expected to lead their respective teams in the tournament. However, neither department reportedly possesses a valid fitness report for the players after they did not undergo the required tests. The PCB has made submission of fitness-test reports mandatory for teams participating in first-class cricket.
Rizwan and Imam, along with five other players, were sent home from the England tour after Pakistan’s two Test defeats. Both subsequently appeared before the NCCIA on Thursday as part of the inquiry into alleged dressing-room leaks.
With the investigation now affecting their immediate domestic commitments, the controversy has added another layer to Pakistan cricket’s growing crisis, with the team facing serious questions both on and off the field.
The probe stems from reports that sensitive team information had been leaking out of the Pakistan camp during the England Test series.
The PCB, it emerged, had taken custody of players' mobile phones before passing them on to the relevant authorities to retrieve data that has now been reviewed as part of the investigation.
A third Pakistan cricketer has reportedly also received a notice from the NCCIA as the inquiry continues to widen. The board, for its part, has declined to officially confirm Rizwan's appearance before the agency or comment on the investigation's scope, with sources simply stating the inquiry was ongoing.
Rizwan, who has appeared in 47 Tests, 103 ODIs and 106 T20Is for Pakistan, travelled from London back to Islamabad after being dropped from the tour squad. Sources indicated he had been in contact with the PCB ahead of his appearance at the NCCIA's offices. Imam was served a formal notice to appear as part of the same investigation.
On August 31, the PCB issued a notice to a member of its selection committee seeking a written explanation, within 24 hours, over the selection of Rizwan and Imam for Pakistan's Test squads for both the West Indies and England tours of 2026.
The notice pointed to a selection meeting held on June 2, during which the committee member in question had taken responsibility for recommending the two players.
The PCB asked for a detailed account of the criteria, performance considerations and decision-making process behind those selections; describing the matter as "urgent and of utmost importance."
The dressing-room leaks question is a legitimate one if team information was being leaked. The speed with which fingers are being pointed at players like Rizwan and Imam, who both have long records of service for Pakistan, however, sits uncomfortably alongside the PCB's own chaotic handling of the selection process, the mid-tour changes, and the communication breakdown with the captain himself.
If Pakistan cricket wants to fix its problems, the probe needs to look inward at every level, not just downward at the players who were already sent home.
If there's one thing to fear about team sports; it's the leaking of information. It gives the opposition an edge. When this happens, it shows that a team is weak and as soft as a teddy bear.
I tend to agree with the last paragraph of the main body. You can't always blame the players alone. They tend to get influenced or feel relaxed about their actions when they look at the actions from those who are above them.
The players have being hard done by. A whole management reshuffle is probably needed.