Pakistan cricket has been hit by another controversy during the England Test tour, with the Pakistan Cricket Board launching an internal disciplinary inquiry into reports concerning discipline and conduct within the team.
PCB media director Amir Mir confirmed the inquiry on Monday but did not reveal the names of the players involved or provide details of the allegations.
The board said the matter is being handled under its existing regulations. The development comes after Pakistan suffered heavy defeats in the first two Tests against England.
They lost the opening game by an innings and 103 runs before going down by 194 runs at Lord’s.
The PCB responded by making major changes to the Test setup. Seven players, including Mohammad Rizwan, Imam-ul-Haq and Salman Ali Agha, were sent home, while head coach Sarfaraz Ahmed and bowling coach Umar Gul were removed.
The inquiry has now added another layer to the situation. Reports have also claimed that the mobile phones of Imam-ul-Haq and Mohammad Rizwan were taken into custody and that data from the devices was obtained.
However, the PCB has not officially confirmed either the phone seizure or the alleged access to their data.
Those reports have inevitably brought Pakistan’s previous match fixing controversies back into the spotlight, particularly the 2010 Lord’s scandal involving Salman Butt, Mohammad Asif and Mohammad Amir.
However, there is currently no official confirmation that the latest PCB inquiry is a match fixing investigation.
The PCB has also warned against treating speculative and unverified reports as established facts while the inquiry remains ongoing.
Pakistan will now prepare for the third and final Test at Edgbaston with a heavily changed squad and coaching setup.
For now, the confirmed story is the PCB’s internal disciplinary inquiry. Whether the investigation uncovers anything more serious remains to be seen.
