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Dark clouds of match-fixing loom again over Pakistan cricket as one of Pakistan's local news platforms claims phones of a few national cricketers have been handed over to the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) following the 194-run defeat against the England National Cricket Team at Lord's.
Following two back-to-back heavy defeats in England, the PCB, in a massive decision, snubbed seven players from the Test team. Head coach Sarafarz Ahmed and assistant coach Umar Gul were also dismissed from their positions.
Seven players were sent home amid England Test series
It was earlier claimed that disciplinary matters were also involved behind the drastic decision to remove Mohammad Rizwan, Salman Ali Agha, Imam-ul-Haq, Ali Usman, Khurram Shahzad, Aamir Jamal and Muhammad Awais Zafar from the team alongside Ahmed and Gul. According to a latest Times of India report, the mass snubbing was not only because of poor performances, but the main reasons could also be beyond cricket, and something like a match-fixing scandal cannot be ruled out at the moment.
In place of the seven players, the board has included two capped batters, Saim Ayub and Abdullah Fazal, and five uncapped players comprising pace-bowling all-rounders Razaullah Khan and Mohammad Imran, left-arm spinner Arafat Minhas, wicketkeeper Saad Baig,g and left-arm pacer Mohammad Imran Junior.
Pakistan Cricket Board initiated an internal disciplinary inquiry: Amir Mir, PCB's Director Media and Digital Communications
Brushing off seven players and the coaches at once from the same team was an event in cricket; cricket pundits across the globe lashed out at the cricket board.
Amid the controversy, PCB Director of Media and Digital Communications Amir Mir confirmed that the board has started an internal disciplinary inquiry into the matter. He said the reports related to discipline and conduct are currently being reviewed, with the PCB following its established regulations and procedures. Mir added that all individuals involved would be given due consideration during the process.
The Pakistan Cricket Board has initiated an internal disciplinary inquiry following media reports concerning discipline and conduct, which are currently being reviewed internally. The PCB handles such matters in accordance with its standard procedures. The process is being…
— Amir Mir (@AmirMirpcb) September 7, 2026
Why does the cricket board feel compelled to initiate an 'internal disciplinary inquiry'? Did the players do anything wrong behind the curtains that can harm the nation's image? These questions are yet to be answered.
Additionally, which players' devices have been handed to the board is also yet to be disclosed. 365 News, a Pakistani news publication publication house claimed in their report that the players' devices have been handed over to the PCB and will remain in the board's custody until the conclusion of the final Test.
Aaqib Javed vowed to take action against Imam-ul-Haq
PCB Director of High Performance Aaqib Javed raised a question about their opener Imam-ul-Haq, who did not bat in both innings of the Lord's Test because of injury.
The batter remained out of the ground during most of the match with a calf injury. But during a practice session, the batter did not look uncomfortable with the bat in hand. Javed said that the board would conduct an inquiry into why Imam-ul-Haq decided to skip batting despite being named in the team.
