Rizwan challenges NCCIA summons in Lahore High Court

Both the players were given a multi-page questionnaire to fill out and return to the NCCIA this week. While Imam is believed to have filed those responses and sent them back through an intermediary by the September 15 deadline, Rizwan is understood to have responded by raising questions about the nature of the investigation and about the jurisdiction of the NCCIA. On Monday, Rizwan also filed a writ petition against the NCCIA in Lahore High Court, citing the lack of a specific allegation having been made, and the NCCIA's jurisdiction in summoning him for questioning.

The NCCIA's questionnaires are believed to have touched on the players' travel and financial history as well as personal and career details. But it isn't clear whether it is related to the PCB's own inquiry, which they announced last week. The board did not name any players but said it had "initiated an internal disciplinary inquiry following media reports concerning discipline and conduct, which are currently being reviewed internally". That process, the board said, was being "conducted under PCB regulations".

Pakistan lost the second Test at Lord's by 194 runs after losing the first by an innings and 103 runs. In the aftermath, seven players as well as the head coach Sarfaraz Ahmed and bowling coach Umar Gul were removed from the squad. In their place, seven other players travelled to England, five of whom were uncapped at international level. Two of those called up - Mohammad Imran Randhawa and Razaullah - made debuts at Edgbaston in the third Test alongside the wicketkeeper Ghazi Ghouri. Pakistan lost the Test by eight wickets, though Razauallah shone, picking up four wickets and scoring 81.

Rizwan's form with the bat on the tour had been poor, with scores of 12, 41, 7 and 1, following low returns in two Tests in the Caribbean as well. His glovework, however, has been exemplary on both tours and until the West Indies series, he had been Pakistan's leading Test run-scorer since January 2024. But an ungainly hoick to be dismissed for 1 in the second innings at Lord's attracted plenty of criticism.

Imam, meanwhile, was diagnosed with a grade-1 tear in his left calf after the conclusion of the first day's play at Lord's and did not appear on the field during either of Pakistan's innings. On the final morning, during pre-game warm-ups, he came out to attempt some gentle knockdowns but struggled physically. Aaqib Javed, the PCB's chief selector and director of high performance publicly questioned Imam's injury and warned then of an inquiry into it.

In defending the squad changes, the PCB chairman Mohsin Naqvi alluded to wider factors at play, without expanding. "We have had a discussion to ascertain the reasons behind it. They include factors beyond performance and we will get to the bottom of it."

The selection of both the players for the West Indies and England tours was also the subject of a notice sent by the PCB to selectors after the Lord's Test. The notice asked for a written explanation outlining the reasons for their selection and the process through which it was arrived at, within 24 hours of the receipt of notice. Misbah-ul-Haq, one of the selectors, resigned from the post following the changes to the squad.