Muhammad Rizwan demands that the ICC clarify the corruption process while Pakistan’s investigation continues
Former Pakistan captain Muhammad Rizwan has appealed to the International Cricket Council’s anti-corruption unit to clarify the procedure to be followed if a player is suspected of involvement in corruption, amid a government investigation into alleged links to illegal betting and gambling websites.
The move comes after the Lahore High Court on Thursday dismissed a writ petition challenging the jurisdiction of the National Cyber Crime Investigation Agency (NCCIA) to investigate such matters.
The wicket-keeper batsman, who has played around 250 international matches across 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.
Rizwan, who had no previous allegations of involvement in illegal betting or gambling during his more than 10-year international career, sought to ascertain from the ICC whether the PCB followed the prescribed procedure when it suspected any of its players of corruption.
The ICC’s anti-corruption laws state that if any player from any member country is found to be involved or suspected of corruption and breach of the anti-corruption code, the ICC’s anti-corruption unit will open its own investigation and involve relevant management.
The PCB has yet to do this clear if he suspects Rizwan of any illegal practices and whether they have brought the matter to the attention of the ICC ACU, which is mandatory under anti-corruption laws.
Test player who knows Rizwan said he was a little surprised when the NCCIA letter was leaked which stated that Rizwan had been summoned to answer questions regarding his seized mobile phone and some illegal betting and gambling sites.
“It would be a huge shock to me if any of the current players were to be found involved in such corruption,” the former captain, who declined to be named, said on Friday.
In unusual movement, i.ethe phones of Rizwan and Imam were confiscated by the Pakistani 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 identify any suspicious activity on the phones.
Rizwan and the imam both appeared before the NCCIA for questioning after returning from London, but no details of what happened at the meeting were provided.
Geo TV reported that Rizwan kept insisting that he should be informed about the allegations or suspicions against him, but did not get a clear answer.
His lawyer was present in the building but was not allowed inside.
In the past, Pakistani cricket has been heavily marred by spot-fixing and betting scandals, most notably when several players were accused of match-fixing in the 1990s and when three players Salman Butt, Muhammad Asif and Muhammad Amir were found guilty of spot-fixing during Pakistan’s 2010 Test against England.
Apart from these cases, other Pakistani players including Sharjeel Khan, Khalid Latif, Umar Akmal, Asif Afridi, Muhammad Nawaz etc. have also been banned or fined for violating the anti-corruption code in Pakistan Super League or other matches.
Ironically, two years ago, when online betting and gambling sites were aggressively involved in using surrogate advertising in the PSL, media reports claimed that Rizwan and Babar Azam had refused to display the logos of the companies sponsoring their franchises in the league.
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Issued by:
Amar Panicker
Published on:
18 Sep 2026 20:35 IST