Mohammed Rizwan approaches ICC ACU (Agency Image)
Rizwan submitted an online request through the ICC ACU portal, asking whether the ICC or the England and Wales Cricket Board (ECB) was aware of, or involved in, the action taken against him, according to sources quoted by Geo News. Sources said Rizwan’s request was not intended as a complaint against any individual or organisation. During Thursday’s hearing, Rizwan’s lawyer, Qazi Umair Ali, told Chief Justice Aalia Neelum that the cricketer had been called to a hotel lobby after the Lord’s Test in England and questioned without being served a notice. Rizwan’s mobile phone was taken into custody after he was assured that it would be returned within three hours, according to his counsel.
Instead, the Pakistan batter has sought clarification on the procedures followed in his case and the role, if any, of the ICC or ECB in the seizure of his mobile phone. The former Pakistan white-ball captain has also asked whether the process of requesting his phone, transferring it from England to Pakistan and conducting a forensic examination was in accordance with the ICC Anti-Corruption Code. The development comes days after the Lahore High Court dismissed Rizwan’s petition challenging notices issued to him by the NCCIA. However, the device has not yet been returned.