KARACHI: Pakistan’s National Cyber Crime Investigation Agency (NCCIA) has summoned cricketers Imam-ul-Haq and Mohammad Rizwan for questioning over information retrieved from their mobile phones, Geo News reported on Thursday.
The development comes days after the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) took custody of the players’ phones shortly after ordering them to return home during the ongoing Test series against England.
Sources said the phones remained in the PCB’s custody for a little over two hours before being handed over to the relevant authorities. The circumstances surrounding the decision to take the devices into custody, however, have not been officially explained by the board.
The NCCIA later issued notices to Imam and Rizwan, summoning them for questioning as part of its ongoing inquiry. A third Pakistan cricketer has also reportedly received a notice from the agency.
The agency is expected to examine information retrieved from the players’ phones as part of the investigation. It remains unclear what specific information prompted the inquiry.
The development follows Pakistan’s heavy defeats in the first two Tests against England. After the defeat at Lord’s, the PCB made sweeping changes to the squad and released seven players and two coaches midway through the series.
Rizwan, Imam, Salman Ali Agha, Ali Usman, Aamer Jamal, Awais Zafar and Khurram Shahzad were released from the squad.
Head coach Sarfaraz Ahmed and bowling coach Umar Gul were also removed, with white-ball head coach Mike Hesson and bowling coach Ashley Noffke brought in to take charge.
The phone inquiry also comes amid questions over the selection of Imam and Rizwan for Pakistan’s Test tours of the West Indies and England.
The PCB recently sought a written explanation from a member of its Selection/Advisory Committee over the recommendation to include the two players in the Test squad.
According to a PCB notice issued on August 31, the committee member had taken part in a June 2 selection meeting where responsibility was assigned for selecting players for the two Test tours.
The notice said Rizwan and Imam were shortlisted on the committee member’s recommendation. The PCB subsequently sought an explanation of the criteria, performance considerations and other factors behind their selection.
The board described the matter as “urgent and of utmost importance” and directed the committee member to submit a written response within 24 hours.
The NCCIA notices now add another layer to the controversy surrounding the two players, although authorities have yet to publicly disclose the nature of the information being examined.
