Pakistan dressing-room leaks probe: Mohammad Rizwan and Imam-ul-Haq questioned by NCCIA; request more time for responses

Mohammad Rizwan and Imam-ul-Haq, two of the seven players sent home from the England tour following the Lord's Test defeat, reportedly appeared before the National Cyber Crime Investigation Agency in Lahore on Thursday as part of an inquiry into alleged leaks from the Pakistan dressing room.

The pair turned up at the NCCIA's Johar Town office in Lahore at approximately 3 pm and were questioned for around two hours, according to sources who spoke to Geo News .

The questions put to them focused on the alleged leaks from within the team dressing room during the ongoing England Test series, as well as their contacts and movements during practice sessions and match days while in England.

At the end of the session, both Rizwan and Imam asked for additional time before submitting their full responses to the investigators.

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The probe stems from reports that sensitive team information had been leaking out of the Pakistan camp during the England Test series.

The PCB, it emerged, had taken custody of players' mobile phones before passing them on to the relevant authorities to retrieve data that has now been reviewed as part of the investigation.

A third Pakistan cricketer has reportedly also received a notice from the NCCIA as the inquiry continues to widen. The board, for its part, has declined to officially confirm Rizwan's appearance before the agency or comment on the investigation's scope, with sources simply stating the inquiry was ongoing.

Rizwan, who has appeared in 47 Tests, 103 ODIs and 106 T20Is for Pakistan, travelled from London back to Islamabad after being dropped from the tour squad. Sources indicated he had been in contact with the PCB ahead of his appearance at the NCCIA's offices. Imam was served a formal notice to appear as part of the same investigation.

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On August 31, the PCB issued a notice to a member of its selection committee seeking a written explanation, within 24 hours, over the selection of Rizwan and Imam for Pakistan's Test squads for both the West Indies and England tours of 2026.

The notice pointed to a selection meeting held on June 2, during which the committee member in question had taken responsibility for recommending the two players.

The PCB asked for a detailed account of the criteria, performance considerations and decision-making process behind those selections, describing the matter as "urgent and of utmost importance."

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Pakistan lost two Tests badly, sent home seven players and two coaches in a chaotic mid-tour overhaul, confiscated phones, launched a disciplinary inquiry, and has now referred two international cricketers to a cybercrime agency.

All this has happened even before the series has finished. That's a lot of institutional energy directed at investigating the players rather than examining the process that allowed all of this to unfold.

The dressing-room leaks question is a legitimate one if team information was being leaked. But the speed with which fingers are being pointed at players like Rizwan and Imam, who both have long records of service for Pakistan, sits uncomfortably alongside the PCB's own chaotic handling of the selection process, the mid-tour changes, and the communication breakdown with the captain himself.

If Pakistan cricket wants to fix its problems, the probe needs to look inward at every level, not just downward at the players who were already sent home.

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Soham Mukherjee is a content producer and writer, with a focus on cricket, football, tennis and Indian sports. His work has appeared in Goal.com previously, where he has covered the Premier League, La Liga, Champions League, FIFA World Cups and Indian football. Armed with an MA (Master's) in Sports Journalism from Symbiosis International University, he knew early on that his future wouldn’t be on the pitch but behind the pen, shaping narratives about the games he adores.