Imam-ul-Haq and Mohammad Rizwan Blocked from President’s Trophy Due to Cyber-Crime Probe

Pakistan stars Imam-ul-Haq and Mohammad Rizwan have been blocked from taking part in the President’s Trophy Grade-I first-class tournament as a cyber-crime probe tightens around them.

The competition begins on Saturday across four venues, but two of the country’s most recognisable cricketers will be watching from the sidelines. Their exclusion, reported by Dawn, will stand until an investigation into alleged leaks from the national team dressing room reaches its conclusion.

Cyber-crime investigators move in

The National Cyber Crime Investigation Agency (NCCIA) questioned Imam and Rizwan in Lahore on Thursday after a complaint from the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB). At the heart of the case lie suspicions that confidential information from Pakistan’s Test dressing room in England may have been passed on without authorisation during the recent tour.

Both players had already been recalled from the Test squad after Pakistan’s defeats in the first two matches of the three-Test series in England. Seven players were sent home in total. Five were dropped strictly on cricketing grounds. Imam and Rizwan were placed in a different category, with the PCB making it clear an internal investigation involving the pair was under way.

The matter has now moved beyond cricketing corridors. According to Dawn, Imam and Rizwan spent around four hours at the NCCIA office, answering detailed questions. They told investigators their mobile phones were already in the agency’s possession and could be sent for forensic examination. They also asked for extra time to provide written explanations, an indication of how seriously both the authorities and the players are treating the case.

Domestic plans on hold

The timing could hardly be more disruptive. Imam had been named captain of the Oil and Gas Development Company side for the President’s Trophy, while Rizwan was set to serve as vice-captain for Sui Northern Gas Pipelines.

Even without the ban, neither was expected to feature in the opening round. Both had skipped the mandatory fitness tests required before the start of the tournament, ruling them out of immediate selection. Now, their absence carries a very different weight: they are not just unavailable, they are ineligible until the probe runs its course.

The PCB’s stance has been reinforced by comments from within its own high-performance structure. National selector and PCB director of high performance Aaqib Javed has already flagged Imam’s conduct during the second Test at Lord’s as an additional area of scrutiny. Imam did not come out to bat in either innings of that match, which Pakistan lost by a hefty 194 runs. That decision, and the circumstances around it, will also fall under the investigative lens.

The dressing room is supposed to be cricket’s last private space, a sanctuary where tactics, tensions and truths are shared in confidence. Pakistan’s authorities now want to know who, if anyone, broke that trust—and what it will mean for two of the country’s most prominent cricketers as the fallout gathers pace.