Mohammad Rizwan may be experiencing Kafkaesque predicament. Like the protagonist in Franz Kafka’s Trial, he, seemingly, and even admittedly, is unaware what his fault is, who has leveled the charges against him and why he is being dragged into a situation of uncertain future.
His phone has been confiscated and the exact reason has not been explained. According to him, “No written notice, no written demand, no allegation, no charge, no warrant, no receipt and no document explaining the basis on which the phone was being taken away.”
Rizwan was woken up in the middle of the night in his London hotel room (around 1 am) after the conclusion of the Lord’s Test on August 30. A PCB Anti-Corruption official (Col. Akhtar) asked him to come downstairs with a specific instruction to bring his handset along.
Intriguingly enough, a member of Pakistan’s Federal Investigation Agency (FIA) was present at that hour. It may or may not be relevant in this context here but the fact remains that the FIA has its own DG who is an IG level officer. But, yes, it is under the Ministry of Interior, headed by Mohsin Naqvi, who is of course, the chairman of the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB).
When Rizwan came downstairs, a team official introduced him to the FIA sleuth and advised him to cooperate. Rizwan was confronted with a barrage of questions relating to betting, online gambling before the handset was seized, in spite of his steadfast resistance. He was not told what allegation had been made against him, what incident was being investigated, what he was suspected of having done, or under what authority his phone was being taken into custody.
He recounted the incident in his appeal before the court, accessed by Cricbuzz. “Immediately after the Lords Test Match held between England and Pakistan on 27.08.2026 to 30.08.2026, the Petitioner was summoned to the lobby of the hotel where the entire team was staying at 01:00 AM in the night. There, an officer purportedly from some government agency was present.
“Despite no notice with respect to the foregoing, the Petitioner was interrogated by the said officer and his mobile phone was confiscated from him without providing him with any reason or justification in respect thereof. He was also not informed of any order which authorized the confiscation of his phone.
“Needless to mention that the Petitioner (Rizwan) handed over his phone on the assurance that the device would be thoroughly checked and returned back to him within the next 3 hours. Despite the assurance, the phone has not been handed back to him till date.” The phone is now in the possession of the National Cyber Crime Investigation Agency (NCCIA), which is investigating his case.
In his letter to authorities, Rizwan writes, “I was not given any written notice, written demand, allegation, charge, warrant, receipt or other document explaining the basis on which my phone was being requested. I was extremely hesitant and declined several times because I was not told what allegation had been made against me, what incident was being investigated, what I was suspected of having done, or under what authority my personal phone was being requested.”
Intimidation and blackmail
In the petition before the Lahore High Court, he alleges intimidation, blackmail and harassment. “…confiscating the phone without lawful authority and retaining it indefinitely, issuing a vague notice without specifying the offence or provision violated, administering an irrelevant questionnaire, refusing to disclose the complaint or material demonstrates that the Impugned Notice and Impugned Enquiry are not a bona fide exercise of statutory power but a colourable and mala fide attempt to harass, intimidate and blackmail the Petitioner.”
Rizwan has twice been disallowed by the PCB to speak to the media. His version, according to a source, is that he is not making a complaint against any individual, the PCB, FIA, NCCIA or Pakistan.
He also claims that there is no evidence of corruption in his case. “The ICC ACU is the body specifically constituted and mandated to receive, investigate and act upon allegations of corruption, including betting and spot-fixing, against players participating in international cricket. No reference of the alleged conduct has been made to the ACU. In the absence of any independent, specific offence disclosed under the 2016 Act or the 2025 Act, the NCCIA’s assumption of jurisdiction is without lawful basis and amounts to an abuse of process.”
PCB silence and court rejection
The PCB has been largely imprecise on the issue. All that it said is that an internal inquiry is underway. “The PCB handles such matters in accordance with its standard procedures. The process is being conducted under PCB regulations, ensuring that all concerned individuals are given due consideration,” a recent PCB statement said, adding, “At this stage, any speculative reports and unverified claims circulating on certain platforms, particularly those originating from hostile external sources, should not be regarded as credible.” The PCB did not name names.
After his phone was impounded, Rizwan and teammate Imam-ul-Haq were told to leave for Pakistan by the next available flight. Once in Pakistan he was summoned to the NCCIA. He was also asked to provide information regarding his assets, bank accounts and other financial matters but there is no talk of returning his mobile, which is now under forensic assessment.
The High Court did not grant him any relief. “At this stage, the Court considers it appropriate to exercise caution and permit the competent agency to proceed with the inquiry.” The court also stated that a call-up notice does not constitute an accusation of wrongdoing; rather, it is a procedural mechanism for gathering information. Dismissing Rizwan’s petition, the court cautioned the NCCIA not to subject Rizwan to any harassment or unnecessary inconvenience and told the agency to conduct the inquiry strictly in accordance with law.
Experts have weighed in on the case. “At the moment, only a notice has been issued to Rizwan, and he has been required to answer a questionnaire,” Taffazul Rizvi, former legal head of the PCB, who represented the Pakistan board in the infamous 2010 sport-fixing scandal, told Cricbuzz.
“Merely the issuance of a notice or being asked to appear before the agency is not an accusation or admission of any wrongdoing. It is only meant to gather information. At the moment, no adverse inference should be drawn against Rizwan, and his repute and integrity should not be called into question.”
He further explained, “Since online betting and gambling are criminal offences in Pakistan, the Cybercrime Investigation Agency is fully authorised to issue a notice or require the presence of any citizen anywhere in the world, or any person present within Pakistan, for the purposes of conducting an interview and gathering information or material, if they believe it is in his possession. So, this is the law of the land and everyone has to comply with it.”
Rizwan is seeking clarity over the process behind the investigation ©Getty
The current controversy has striking similarities with the scandal of 2010 – the very same Lord’s, very same England versus Pakistan Test and a controversy. The only difference is there is no sting operation this time around. “With regard to the repetition of 2010, this query seems a bit premature, as only after the inquiry is concluded will the true picture emerge,” said Rizvi, considered one of the finest legal brains of Pakistan.
Rizvi also felt Rizwan should not have gone to the ICC. Asked about it by this website, he explained that even the ICC wants one to cooperate with the law of his land. “As far as the role of the ICC in this matter is concerned, the ICC Anti-Corruption Code, if we look at Article 1.11, itself provides that the Code is not intended, and should not be interpreted, to undermine in any way the application of laws and regulations, because it says that your conduct can also be amenable to criminal laws, and participants must also comply with applicable laws and regulations at all times.”
The world body would neither confirm nor deny a query on the letter, citing its policy of not commenting on matters relating to anti-corruption issues.
Rizwan has twice been disallowed by the PCB to speak to the media. His version, according to a source, is that he is not making a complaint against any individual, the PCB, FIA, NCCIA or Pakistan. He remains fully willing to cooperate with any proper investigation. But he is deeply disturbed by what has happened and genuinely needs to understand whether this is the correct process and what is expected of him.
Prima facie, Rizwan’s appears to be a strange case. A former captain, who has represented his country in 256 internationals, including 47 Tests, 103 ODIs and 106 T20I, is shouting from the roof top and is wanting to clear his name. Imam, on the other hand, has also faced almost a similar situation – phone taken away and questioned by the NCCIA – but has remained quiet.
Rizwan has been disallowed to play in the Presiden’t Trophy Grade 1 First Class tournament in which most of the UK tour returnees are taking part. He was named vice-captain of Sui Northern Gas Pipelines Limited. His supporters say he cannot be stopped from earning his livelihood but at this stage there are not too many in Pakistan who seem to back him.
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