Desk
Pakistan spin-bowling all-rounder Mohammad Nawaz has accepted a sanction for breaching the ICC Anti-Doping Code following a positive test carried out during the ICC Men’s T20 World Cup 2026.
The test was conducted after Pakistan’s match against the Netherlands in Colombo on 7 February. Nawaz admitted to the offence and demonstrated that the substance had been used out-of-competition and in a manner unrelated to sporting performance.
He has been handed a three-month period of ineligibility, which will be reduced to one month upon completion of a substance-of-abuse treatment programme. The ban has been backdated to 1 May 2026, the date Nawaz began a voluntary provisional suspension.
Having accepted the sanction and committed to the treatment programme, Nawaz’s provisional suspension has since been lifted, after he served two and a half months of it. Provided he completes the treatment programme to the ICC’s satisfaction, he will not be required to serve out the remainder of the three-month ineligibility period.
In line with the ICC Anti-Doping Code, Nawaz’s results from the 7 February match against the Netherlands, and from all subsequent matches up to 1 May 2026, have been disqualified.
