Pakistan cricketer banned after testing positive for cannabis-related substance
Pakistan all-rounder Mohammad Nawaz has received a three-month ban from the International Cricket Council (ICC) after testing positive for a cannabis-related substance.
The sanction, announced by the governing body on Friday, can be reduced if the player completes a rehabilitation programme.
The 32-year-old was found to have Carboxy-THC – a metabolite of THC, the psychoactive component in cannabis – in his system following Pakistan’s Twenty20 World Cup match against the Netherlands in February.
Carboxy-THC is categorised as a Substance of Abuse under the ICC’s Anti-Doping Code.
Nawaz admitted the violation, with the ICC confirming that he had demonstrated that the substance was used out of competition and did not relate to sporting performance.
His three-month suspension was backdated to 1 May, the date he began a voluntary provisional suspension.
Having served approximately two and a half months under this provisional suspension and agreeing to undergo rehabilitation, his suspension has now been lifted.
In line with its anti-doping code, the ICC has also disqualified Nawaz’s records from the Netherlands match on 7 February and all subsequent matches up to 1 May.
Nawaz participated in all seven of Pakistan’s T20 World Cup fixtures this year, scoring 15 runs and taking seven wickets before their elimination in the Super Eights stage.
Pakistan are due to tour England later this summer for a three-match Test series that begins on 19 August. The first Test will be played at Headingley, while Lord’s will stage the second Test and the series will conclude at Edgbaston in September.
Nawaz could be included in Pakistan’s squad, having previously played six Tests for his country after making his debut in 2016.
However, he has not played a Test match since December 2022, when England secured a series whitewash in Pakistan under the captaincy of Ben Stokes.
Meanwhile, Nawaz has played 44 one-day internationals and 98 T20 matches for Pakistan, demonstrating his high-level skill in white-ball cricket.
He was part of the Pakistan side that made the T20 World Cup final in 2022. Pakistan were beaten by England in the final at the MCG, with Stokes hitting the winning runs after scoring his maiden T20 half-century.
