Mohammad Rizwan barred from President's Trophy amid PCB inquiry

Mohammad Rizwan has been kept out of the President's Trophy, with sources indicating that an ongoing PCB inquiry is the reason behind his exclusion rather than any concern over his fitness.

The development represents a notable administrative step against one of Pakistan's most senior cricketers, arriving shortly after the national side concluded their tour of England.

Daily Ausaf reported that the Pakistan Cricket Board has also blocked Rizwan from using the National Cricket Academy in Lahore for training purposes. With no official facility available to him in the city, he has returned to Peshawar, where he is continuing to train on his own.

How did Rizwan's exclusion from SNGPL unfold in Islamabad?

Rizwan had made his way to Islamabad to link up with his departmental side, Sui Northern Gas Pipelines Limited, ahead of the President's Trophy. With Shan Masood unavailable for the tournament, SNGPL had earmarked Rizwan to captain the side, and he took part in both a training session and a team meeting after arriving.

The PCB then reached out to the SNGPL management to flag that a formal inquiry was in progress against Rizwan. The board's instruction was clear: the department was to relieve him of his duties and send him back. SNGPL officials passed those instructions on to Rizwan, who subsequently left Islamabad.

The report added that the department had been fully prepared to put Rizwan through a fitness assessment on the spot, which further underlines that his physical condition was never the issue. The inquiry, sources said, was the sole factor driving the board's decision.

Why was Rizwan turned away from the NCA on returning to Lahore?

On arriving back in Lahore, Rizwan reached out to the PCB to request access to the National Cricket Academy for his training. The board declined the request, leaving him without a sanctioned venue in the city.

Sources pointed out that none of the other players who returned from the England tour were required to pass a fitness test through their respective departments before joining the President's Trophy. That detail reinforces the view that Rizwan's case is being treated differently from those of his teammates, with the inquiry appearing to be the only factor separating his situation from theirs.

The PCB has not released any public statement clarifying the nature of the inquiry or indicating when it might conclude. Rizwan, meanwhile, continues to train independently in Peshawar while the matter remains unresolved.