The wicketkeeper-batter, who has played around 250 international matches across the three formats, is being questioned by the NCCIA after he was ordered to return home along with two other senior players — Salman Ali Agha and Imam-ul-Haq — from Pakistan’s disastrous tour of England. Former Pakistan captain Mohammad Rizwan has approached the International Cricket Council’s Anti-Corruption Unit seeking clarity on the procedure to be followed if a player is suspected of involvement in corruption, amid a government probe into alleged links to illegal betting and gambling websites. The move comes after the Lahore High Court on Thursday rejected a writ petition challenging the jurisdiction of the National Cyber Crime Investigation Agency (NCCIA) to investigate such matters.
Former Pakistan captain Mohammad Rizwan has approached the International Cricket Council’s Anti-Corruption Unit seeking clarity on the procedure to be followed if a player is suspected of involvement in corruption.
Geo TV has reported that Rizwan kept on insisting that he should be told about the charges or suspicions against him but didn’t get a clear answer.
A Test player, who has known Rizwan, said he was a bit surprised when the letter of the NCCIA was leaked out in which it is stated that Rizwan had been summoned to answer questions relating to his seized mobile phone and some illegal betting and gambling sites. “It would be a big shock for me if any of the current lot of players were found involved in such corruption,” the former captain who declined to be named said on Friday. The ICC Anti-Corruption laws state that if any player belonging to any member country is found involved or is suspected of corruption and breaching the anti-corruption code the ICC’s anti-corruption unit holds its own inquiry and takes the concerned board in the loop. In an unusual move, the phones of Rizwan and Imam were confiscated by the Pakistan team’s security personnel in London during the second Test at Lord’s and were not returned to them and are now being forensically examined by the National Cyber Crime agency to find out any suspicious activities on the phones. Besides these cases also other Pakistan players including Sharjeel Khan, Khalid Latif, Umar Akmal, Asif Afridi, Muhammad Nawaz etc have been banned or fined for breaching the anti-corruption code in the Pakistan Super League or in other matches.
