The Pakistan Cricket Board has allowed former captain Mohammad Rizwan and opener Imam-ul-Haq to represent their domestic sides in the sixth round of the President’s Trophy Grade-I first-class tournament, which begins on Monday.
Rizwan will be available for Sui Northern Gas Pipelines Limited (SNGPL) and Imam for Oil and Gas Development Company Limited (OGDCL). The board has not released an official public statement on either player’s clearance, but team officials and coaches have indicated that the earlier bar on domestic participation has been lifted for this round.
Probe that kept them off the field
Both players have been under investigation by the National Cyber Crime Investigation Agency (NCCIA), the federal body that probes online and electronic offences, over alleged betting and gambling after Pakistan’s defeat in the second Test in England earlier this year. Their mobile phones were taken by the agency. Rizwan, Imam and five other members of that England squad were withdrawn before the third and final Test, which Pakistan lost 3-0.
Some reports say the pair face allegations under the Prevention of Electronic Crimes Act (Peca), Pakistan’s main law covering online offences. The NCCIA has not issued an official statement on the case. Rizwan was summoned in Lahore on Oct 2 and questioned for more than three hours.
How the clearance emerged
When the eight-team President’s Trophy began last month, Rizwan was kept out. That was first linked to a missed pre-season fitness test; it later became clear the NCCIA probe was the reason he was denied clearance. SNGPL coach and former Pakistan captain Mohammad Hafeez has said on electronic media that if Rizwan is available, he will lead SNGPL in the next match—an indication that the board’s bar on him for this competition has been removed and that participation now depends on the player himself.
Imam’s return was confirmed by Farah Batool, president of the OGDCL sports department, who said he would play the sixth-round match after directions from the Pakistan Cricket Board. PCB sources also confirmed that position.
Separately, Rizwan had sought a no-objection certificate to play in the Nepal League. The board allowed him only domestic cricket. After the case became public, he also asked to use the National Cricket Academy and was refused.
Timeline: what has happened so far
- Earlier this year: After Pakistan’s second-Test loss in England, Rizwan, Imam and five other squad players were withdrawn before the final Test; Pakistan lost the series 3-0. Phones were confiscated amid the NCCIA probe into alleged betting and gambling.
- Last month: The eight-team President’s Trophy Grade-I started; Rizwan was denied permission to play, initially framed as a missed fitness test and later tied to the investigation.
- Oct 2: Rizwan was summoned by the NCCIA in Lahore and questioned for more than three hours; no official agency statement followed.
- Ahead of Monday’s sixth round: The Pakistan Cricket Board cleared Rizwan and Imam for their SNGPL and OGDCL sides; Hafeez said Rizwan can captain if available, and OGDCL confirmed Imam’s selection after PCB directions. Rizwan was not cleared for the Nepal League.
The investigation itself has not been publicly closed. Clearance for one domestic round does not, on its own, settle the legal questions still before the NCCIA.
Aasan alfaaz mein
PCB ne Rizwan aur Imam ko President’s Trophy ke sixth round mein khelne ki ijazat de di hai. Dono pehle NCCIA ki betting-related investigation ki wajah se domestic cricket se door thay. Ab wo apni teams SNGPL aur OGDCL ke liye Monday se khel sakte hain. Case abhi band nahi hua, lekin is round ke liye un par khelne ki rok hata di gayi hai.
