The Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) has lifted the two-year suspension on all-rounder Hamza Nazar, clearing him for competitive cricket again only about two months after the ban was announced. With the Hamza Nazar ban lifted, the 27-year-old has been named in Sialkot’s squad for the Quaid-e-Azam Trophy, Pakistan’s main first-class domestic competition.
Why he was suspended
On 6 August the PCB barred Nazar from all domestic and international cricket for two years and fined him Rs1 million. The board said he gave incorrect and misleading information in a visa application handled through the PCB. A three-member inquiry committee concluded that he had not disclosed full and accurate details and had withheld important facts. The panel weighed the evidence, heard his defence, and then put forward recommendations before the disciplinary order was issued.
That sanction also hurt his national prospects. He had been among the stronger names discussed for Pakistan’s squads for the West Indies and England tours before the case closed those doors for the time being.
How the ban was overturned
Reports say Nazar later went back to the board, accepted that he had erred, said he regretted it, and asked for the punishment to be reviewed. He argued that cricket is his livelihood and asked not to be shut out of the game. After that appeal, the PCB overturned the suspension and told him to be more careful in future. The Hamza Nazar ban lifted decision restores his right to play; sources describe the overturn as applying to the playing ban rather than spelling out any change to the Rs1 million fine.
Timeline: what has happened so far
- 6 August: PCB imposes a two-year ban from domestic and international cricket and a Rs1 million fine over the visa application findings.
- Shortly after the ban: An inquiry process and recommendations lead into the original disciplinary announcement; national-tour chances for the West Indies and England are affected.
- About two months later: Nazar admits his mistake, seeks a review, and the PCB lifts the suspension.
- After the lift: He is included in Sialkot’s Quaid-e-Azam Trophy squad and trains at the National Cricket Academy in Lahore.
What comes next on the field
Nazar is preparing for a domestic return while training in Lahore. In first-class cricket so far he has scored 748 runs and taken 26 wickets in 16 matches. Selection for Pakistan again will depend on form and board policy, but the immediate step is club and province cricket through Sialkot.
Aasan alfaaz mein
PCB ne Hamza Nazar ki do saal ki cricket ban hata di hai, sirf kuch mahine baad. Pehle visa form mein ghalat maloomat ki wajah se ban aur 10 lakh rupay jurmana laga tha. Ab woh Sialkot ke saath Quaid-e-Azam Trophy khel sakta hai. Seedha matlab yeh hai ke woh phir se domestic cricket mein wapas aa gaya hai.
