Pakistan all-rounder Mohammad Nawaz has been handed a three-month ICC suspension after testing positive for Carboxy-THC, a cannabis-related prohibited substance, during the ICC Men’s T20 World Cup 2026. The positive sample was collected following Pakistan’s match against the Netherlands on February 7. Nawaz admitted the anti-doping violation and demonstrated that the substance was used out of competition and was unrelated to enhancing sporting performance. The ICC backdated his suspension to May 1, when he voluntarily accepted a provisional ban. After serving nearly two and a half months and agreeing to a substance abuse rehabilitation programme, his suspension has been lifted. Additionally, all of Nawaz’s match results between February 7 and May 1 have been officially disqualified.
A senior Pakistan spinner has faced a three-month ban by ICC
This update is based on reports from Khelnow
The Pakistan Cricket Team flopped in the ICC T20 World Cup 2026 earlier this year. The Men in Green lost to arch-rivals India in the opening round but made it to the Super 8 by winning three games out of four.
Unfortunately, their opening clash against New Zealand in the Super 8 round was washed out due to rain. Later, they lost to England by two wickets and won against Sri Lanka by five runs in a close-fought encounter. However, it wasn’t enough to make it to the semi-finals as they lost the race to New Zealand on the basis of Net Run Rate (NRR).
After the tournament, they faced a lot of criticism from fans and former players for not making it to the semis of the tournament in yet another edition.
While memories of Pakistan’s poor show from the tournament have vanished from the minds of their fans, a fresh controversy related to the T20 World Cup involving a Pakistan player has made the headlines.
A veteran Pakistan player has been found guilty of using a prohibited drug during the T20 World Cup by the International Cricket Council (ICC).
Mohammad Nawaz handed three-month ban by ICC for doping charges
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Senior Pakistan spinner Mohammad Nawaz has been handed a three-month ban by the International Cricket Council (ICC) after testing positive for Carboxy-THC, a prohibited substance. He used the substance during the T20 World Cup 2026 in February.
He has been found guilty of using the substance during the clash against the Netherlands in Colombo on February 7. The doping test was carried out after the encounter.
Nawaz has admitted to the offence and revealed that the substance had been used out of competition, in a manner unrelated to sport performance.
As a result, he has been handed a three-month ban from the ICC backdated to 1 May 2026, which was the date when he started a voluntary provisional suspension.
Since Nawaz has accepted the sanction and committed himself to the rehabilitation programme, his provisional suspension has been lifted after having served a two-and-a-half-month of suspension.
As per the rules of ICC Anti-Doping Code, Nawaz’s records from the match against the Netherlands on 7 February and in subsequent matches until 1 May 2026 have been disqualified. During this period, he only played in T20 World Cup 2026.
Therefore, all his records from the tournament will not be considered by the ICC. The 32-year-old clinched seven wickets in the tournament at an average of 22.28 and an economy of 7.80.
Meanwhile, Nawaz has been a regular member of the national team since his debut in 2016. He has played for Pakistan in many ICC tournaments over the last few years and also represented them in the T20 World Cup 2026 earlier this year.
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After the tournament, he played in Pakistan Super League (PSL) 2026 for Multan Sultans in April. Since then, he has not played any games for Pakistan in international cricket.
Since the start of this year, Nawaz has featured in 12 T20I games and clinched 15 wickets at an economy of 7.37. He played in the T20I series against Sri Lanka in January, where he bagged just one wicket in two innings.
However, he impressed with his performance in the following T20I series against Australia in February, bagging seven wickets in three games, including a fabulous five-wicket haul in the third clash.