Denied by Lahore court, Rizwan turns to ICC as phone seizure row escalates
Pakistan wicketkeeper-batter Mohammad Rizwan has turned to the ICC Anti-Corruption Unit (ACU) for clarity on the seizure of his mobile phone by Pakistani cyber crime investigation authorities during the recent tour of England, as per multiple Pakistani outlets.
The Pakistan gloveman filed an online request through the ACU portal, asking whether the ICC or the England and Wales Cricket Board (ECB) knew of, or had a hand in, the action taken against him, reported Pakistan’s GEO News on Thursday.
Rizwan also questioned whether the process — requesting his phone, moving it from the UK to Pakistan, then subjecting it to forensic checks — followed the ICC's Anti-Corruption Code.
However, sources told GEO News that Rizwan’s approach to the ACU was not a formal complaint, but an attempt to understand the procedure applied in his case.
It followed the Lahore High Court's dismissal on Thursday of Rizwan's petition against notices served on him by the National Cyber Crime Investigation Agency (NCCIA).
Arguing before Chief Justice Aalia Neelum, Rizwan's lawyer Qazi Umair Ali said his client was questioned in a hotel lobby after the Lord's Test, without ever being formally served notice.
The phone was taken on assurances it would be returned within three hours, counsel said. It remains in the agency's custody.
Counsel further argued the NCCIA lacked jurisdiction, insisting cricket corruption cases belonged with the ICC's own Anti-Corruption Unit instead.
The court rejected that argument and ordered Rizwan to respond directly to the NCCIA notice.
The NCCIA inquiry centres on online betting and gambling in Pakistan cricket, with separate reports tying it to alleged leaks from the dressing room during the England series.
Rizwan and opener Imam-ul-Haq were questioned by the agency in Lahore earlier this month, with their phones examined and financial records scrutinised.
No formal finding has been announced against either batter so far.
Rizwan had earlier written to the NCCIA seeking reasons for his summons, details of the alleged violation, and an explanation for why his phone was still being held.
The probe emerged in the aftermath of Pakistan's Lord's defeat, after which Rizwan and Imam were among seven players axed from the squad.