Pakistan all-rounder Mohammad Nawaz has admitted to violating the ICC Anti-Doping Code and agreed to participate in a rehabilitation program, prompting the International Cricket Council (ICC) to lift his provisional suspension.
According to the ICC, the 32-year-old’s doping sample was collected on February 7, 2026, following Pakistan’s ICC Men’s T20 World Cup match against the Netherlands in Colombo, Sri Lanka. Testing later detected the presence of a prohibited substance in his sample.
Under the ICC Anti-Doping Code, all of Nawaz’s match results and performances from the February 7 fixture against the Netherlands through May 1, 2026, have been disqualified.
The ICC said Nawaz acknowledged that the banned substance was used out of competition and was not intended to enhance his on-field performance.
As a result, the governing body imposed a three-month period of ineligibility. However, the sanction has been backdated to May 1, 2026, the date on which Nawaz voluntarily accepted a provisional suspension.
The ICC further stated that because Nawaz agreed to complete a rehabilitation program related to the prohibited substance, his period of ineligibility can be reduced from three months to one month upon successful completion.
Having accepted the rehabilitation program and completed approximately two and a half months under provisional suspension, Nawaz’s temporary suspension has now been lifted, making him eligible to return in line with the ICC’s anti-doping regulations.