LAHORE: Pakistan all-rounder Mohammad Nawaz has accepted a three-month ban for breaching the ICC Anti-Doping Code, although the suspension could be reduced to one month if he successfully completes a substance abuse rehabilitation programme.
The International Cricket Council (ICC) announced that the 32-year-old tested positive for Carboxy-THC, classified as a Substance of Abuse under the Anti-Doping Code, following a doping test conducted after Pakistan’s ICC Men’s T20 World Cup 2026 match against the Netherlands in Colombo on February 7.
Nawaz admitted the anti-doping rule violation and established that the prohibited substance was used outside competition and was unrelated to enhancing his sporting performance.
The ICC imposed a three-month period of ineligibility, backdated to May 1, 2026, the date Nawaz voluntarily accepted a provisional suspension.
Having already served two and a half months of suspension, Nawaz’s provisional suspension has now been lifted after he accepted the sanction and agreed to undergo a rehabilitation programme.
The ICC said Nawaz would not be required to serve the remainder of the three-month ban if he successfully completes the substance abuse treatment programme to the governing body’s satisfaction.
As part of the sanction, Nawaz’s performance in Pakistan’s T20 World Cup match against the Netherlands on February 7, along with all subsequent matches played before May 1, has been officially disqualified in accordance with the ICC Anti-Doping Code.
Nawaz, a left-arm spin-bowling all-rounder, has been a regular member of Pakistan’s white-ball squads and featured in the ICC Men’s T20 World Cup 2026 before the suspension took effect.
