Dubai, July 17, 2026: Pakistan all-rounder Mohammad Nawaz has been sanctioned by the International Cricket Council (ICC) after testing positive for a cannabis-related substance during the ICC Men’s T20 World Cup 2026, the game’s governing body announced on Friday.
According to an ICC statement, the 32-year-old cricketer tested positive for Carboxy-THC—a metabolite of THC, the psychoactive component in cannabis—following a doping test conducted after Pakistan’s T20 World Cup match against the Netherlands in Colombo on February 7.
Carboxy-THC is classified as a Substance of Abuse under the ICC Anti-Doping Code.
The Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) had earlier submitted Nawaz’s medical history to the ICC after reports emerged in April that he had failed a dope test during the tournament, which was jointly hosted by Sri Lanka and India.
The ICC said Nawaz admitted to the anti-doping rule violation and successfully demonstrated that the substance had been consumed out of competition and was unrelated to enhancing sporting performance.
As a result, the ICC imposed a three-month period of ineligibility. However, the suspension was backdated to May 1, when Nawaz voluntarily accepted a provisional suspension.
The governing body further said Nawaz agreed to participate in a substance abuse rehabilitation programme, reducing his period of ineligibility to one month under the provisions of the Anti-Doping Code.
Having already served more than two-and-a-half months under the provisional suspension, Nawaz’s suspension has now been lifted.
The ICC said that, subject to the successful completion of the rehabilitation programme to its satisfaction, Nawaz will not be required to serve any additional period of ineligibility.
In accordance with the Anti-Doping Code, Nawaz’s individual results from Pakistan’s match against the Netherlands and all subsequent matches up to May 1 have been disqualified.
Pakistan cricket has witnessed similar doping-related cases in the past. Fast bowlers Shoaib Akhtar and Mohammad Asif were handed two-year and one-year bans, respectively, after failing drug tests ahead of the 2006 ICC Champions Trophy, while former Test leg-spinner Yasir Shah received a three-month suspension in 2015 after failing a dope test.
