The International Cricket Council handed Pakistan all-rounder Mohammad Nawaz a three-month ban for breaching the anti-doping code on Friday [1].
The sanction impacts the integrity of the 2026 T20 World Cup, as the ICC has disqualified several of the athlete's match records from the tournament held in India and Sri Lanka [4].
Nawaz, 32, tested positive for a prohibited cannabis metabolite [5, 6]. The ICC said the ban was back-dated to May 1, 2026, which is when the player's voluntary provisional suspension began [1, 3].
As part of the ruling, the ICC disqualified Nawaz's records from a match against the Netherlands on Feb. 7, 2026, and all subsequent matches played until May 1, 2026 [2, 3]. The governing body said that Nawaz voluntarily accepted the provisional suspension and agreed to participate in a rehabilitation programme [6].
Reports on the duration of the penalty vary slightly among sources. While several reports confirm a three-month ban [1, 6], one report described it as a three-match ban [7]. Additionally, some reports indicate the suspension could be reduced to one month upon the completion of a treatment program [7].
This disciplinary action follows the standard protocols of the ICC anti-doping code, which aims to maintain a drug-free environment in international cricket. The disqualification of match records means that any statistics or contributions Nawaz made during the specified window will be erased from the official tournament logs [2].
“Nawaz's records from the match against the Netherlands on Feb. 7 and in subsequent matches until May 1, 2026, have been disqualified.”
The disqualification of match records from a World Cup event is a severe sporting penalty that affects not only the individual's career statistics but also the official records of the matches played. By back-dating the ban to the start of a voluntary suspension, the ICC provides a pathway for the player to return to professional cricket sooner while still upholding the strict standards of the anti-doping code.
