Pakistan’s Mohammad Nawaz sanctioned for breaching ICC’s Anti-Doping Code

Pakistan all-rounder Mohammad Nawaz has been sanctioned by the International Cricket Council (ICC) for breaching the Anti-Doping Code. 

According to the governing body, the 32-year-old tested positive following the consumption of a ‘Substance of Abuse’, that being Carboxy-THC. The doping test was carried out after Pakistan’s opening game of the 2026 T20 World Cup against the Netherlands in Colombo on February 7. Nawaz took two wickets in that game and scored six runs in the second innings as the Men in Green registered a three-wicket victory.

Following the results from the doping test, the left-arm spinner has accepted three months of ineligibility. The sentence will be reduced to just one month after the all-rounder completes a substance of abuse treatment programme. 

It is, however, worth mentioning that Nawaz has admitted the offence, though the substance was consumed not in relation to sporting performance.

The three-month-long period of ineligibility had been backdated to May 1, 2026, the date the player started a voluntary provisional suspension. The latter has already been lifted after Nawaz served for a period of 2 and a half months. 

As is the norm with the ICC’s Anti-Doping Code, Nawaz’s stats from the game against the Netherlands and in all subsequent matches until May 1, 2026, have been disqualified. 

Capped 198 times by Pakistan, Nawaz last played professional cricket during the 2026 Pakistan Super League (PSL) for Multan Sultans. He played 10 times for the franchise and went on to contribute 54 runs and six wickets along the way. 

Pakistan, meanwhile, will now embark on a Test tour, playing five matches over the coming months. The Men in Green will commence it with a tour to the West Indies, where they will play two matches before travelling to England to compete in a three-match series. Babar Azam has been renamed captain for the two series in a much-rotated squad. 

The first Test against the West Indies is set to commence on July 25 at the Brian Lara Stadium.