Mohammad Nawaz: Suspended for 3 Months After Failed Dope Test. NEW DELHI: Pakistan all-rounder Mohammad Nawaz has been banned for three months after a failed dope test during the T20 World Cup earlier this year. The International Cricket Council (ICC) announced the decision on Friday, confirming that the positive test was for a “substance of abuse” unrelated to performance enhancement. Importantly, the suspension will reduce to one month if Nawaz completes a substance abuse treatment program. His ineligibility has been backdated to May 1, when he began a voluntary provisional suspension.
The ICC stated that Mohammad Nawaz accepted the three-month period of ineligibility, which will be shortened upon successful completion of a rehabilitation program. “Subject to Nawaz completing a substance of abuse rehabilitation programme to the ICC’s satisfaction, Nawaz will not be required to serve the remainder of the three-month period of ineligibility,” the governing body noted. Nawaz tested positive for Carboxy-THC, an inactive cannabis metabolite, after Pakistan’s T20 World Cup match against the Netherlands in Colombo on February 7. The tournament was co-hosted by India and Sri Lanka, with Pakistan playing in Sri Lanka.
The 32-year-old admitted the offence and proved the substance was used out of competition, with no link to performance. “Nawaz admitted to the offence and demonstrated that the substance had been used out-of-competition, in a manner unrelated to sport performance,” the ICC said. After accepting the sanction and agreeing to rehabilitation, his provisional suspension was lifted, with two and a half months already served. Under ICC rules, his records from the February 7 match and all subsequent games up to May 1 have been disqualified.
This case highlights the ICC’s strict stance against substance abuse, while offering a chance for rehabilitation. Mohammad Nawaz’s cooperation and commitment to treatment have eased his penalty, allowing him to return to cricket sooner.
