{
  "id": 6788538,
  "title": "Under fire Imam, Rizwan barred from playing in President's Trophy",
  "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/09/11/under-fire-imam-rizwan-barred-from-playing-in-presidents-trophy",
  "topic": "world",
  "section": "World",
  "published": "2026-09-11T18:56:57.000Z",
  "source": {
    "name": "Dawn",
    "slug": "dawn",
    "url": "https://www.dawn.com/news/2029163/under-fire-imam-rizwan-barred-from-playing-in-presidents-trophy"
  },
  "original_language": "en",
  "account": "Pakistan cricketers Imam-ul-Haq and Mohammad Rizwan have been barred from participating in the President's Trophy Grade-I domestic first-class tournament, set to commence on Saturday. The restriction stems from their questioning by the National Cybercrime Investigation Agency (NCCIA) following a complaint filed by the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB). The two players are currently prohibited from joining their respective teams, OGDCL and SNGPL, until the investigation concludes. Both Imam and Rizwan failed to appear for a mandatory fitness test before the tournament, but this alone did not disqualify them. The prohibition extends beyond the tournament's opening game as they are barred from playing until the probe ends. This development follows their testimony before the NCCIA in connection with an investigation into leaked information from Pakistan's dressing room during the ongoing Test series against England. The two were among seven players recalled to Pakistan following the team's losses in the first two Tests, which left England with a significant advantage in the series. Reports suggested that their mobile phones were confiscated by PCB officials, leading to the initiation of an \"internal inquiry\" against the duo. Aaqib Javed, national selector and PCB director of high performance, had previously mentioned that Imam would also face investigation for his lack of participation in Pakistan's second Test innings against England, which the visitors lost by 194 runs. On Thursday, a PCB spokesperson confirmed the NCCIA probe, but declined to comment further while the inquiry was ongoing. Both players appeared at the NCCIA office in Lahore and were questioned for approximately four hours, stating that their cellphones were under the NCCIA's possession for forensic examination. Both players have requested additional time to submit written responses to the investigating agency. The inquiry is focused on alleged leaks from the dressing room during the England series.",
  "summary": "Dropped Pakistan internationals Imam-ul-Haq and Mohammad Rizwan have been barred from playing in the President’s Trophy Grade-I domestic first-class tournament, which starts across four venues on Saturday. Dawn understands that the duo, who were questioned by the National Cybercrime Investigation Agency (NCCIA) on Thursday following a complaint lodged by the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB), have…",
  "key_points": [],
  "editors_take": null,
  "illustration": null,
  "coverage": {
    "outlets": 1,
    "also_reported_by": []
  },
  "ai_generated": true,
  "disclaimer": "Summaries, key points and the editor’s take are written by software from other outlets’ reporting and may contain errors — always check the linked original."
}